Troublesome Discoveries
by Searching.For.Enadi
Summary: At age twenty-six, Sawada Tsunayoshi dies without regret, leaving his place as Vongola's leader to another. In another world, Sawada Tsunayoshi wakes up once more: alive, de-aged to ten, with a younger twin brother, and ... female? …What? - AU; dimension-crossing; fem!Tsuna; No pairings as of now.
1. Chapter I: As a female

**So, uh, new story - something I really shouldn't post, what with my other story that I really should be working on - but sadly, plotbunnies are like diseases I can't get rid of. I needed to cure myself. **

**And with me becoming a recent addict to the wonders of KHR, I decided, hey, why not? **

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**_Troublesome Discoveries_**

_World: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!_

_Rating: T_

_Pairings: _Um… While I know many make Tsuna a girl just to make a het pairing with another guy, I don't think there will be any for this story. Of course, I might change my mind later on, but romance isn't really my 'thing,' and really, I'd rather focus on family/friendship fluff and all those other things that make us feel warm and good about ourselves.

_Summary:_ At age twenty-six, Sawada Tsunayoshi dies without regret, leaving his place as Vongola's leader to another. In another world, Sawada Tsunayoshi wakes up - de-aged to ten, with a younger twin brother, and ... female?

…

What?

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**Disclaimer: If I had even a tenth of the money Amano Akira gets from creating the amazing KHR, I would be sailing the Caribbean - not writing fanfiction.**

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When Sawada Tsunayoshi dies, it's with few regrets.

He is twenty-six; young by normal standards, but relatively not by the mafia's. In the mafia world, one doesn't usually live a long life – what with all the shooting and general mayhem – and when you're a mafia _boss_, well, the 'usually' then becomes a 'highly unlikely.'

So, it's without a doubt or shock that Tsunayoshi dies at twenty-six, young but not so young, surrounded by family (_not friends,_ he thinks, _because they are so much more)_ because of multiple shots to the body and a lethal slow-moving gaseous poison that not even Shamal – had he been alive – could have cured. But he doesn't dwell on the thought of his slow coming (painful) death, and instead begins to reassure his family that he is fine, and that he'll always be with them, even if they cannot see him.

And hey, as a bonus, he'll get to see Reborn again – his crazy, insane, _sadistic_ mentor, but still, it was _Reborn, _and he still missed that not-quite baby – and isn't that great, he'll be meeting up with everyone else that's been waiting.

"I'll be fine," He reassures once again, and this time, Kyoko is not able to hold back her tears. "You all have been amazing – the best _famiglia _I could ever have had, and don't you ever forget it. Live well, all of you."

And it is on that fateful day that Sawada Tsunayoshi, surrounded by his mournful comrades, exhales his last breath -

-o-o-o-o-o

- Only to take in a desperate one as he falls off a bed and down to the floor, crushing all the breath out from his lungs. Gasping for air, he tries to scramble out of the mess of bed sheets that covers him and when he finally does, he's out of breath again because he's wondering, _what the hell is going on?_

_If this is where people ended up with after death_, Tsuna thinks mindlessly, his face blank, _I don't know if I should be happy or disappointed._

For he is in no heavenly place with clouds (he smiles bitterly at the thought) as floors, and he certainly is not anywhere near the fiery depths of hell. Instead, he is in a neutrally colored room, painted a sky blue with a bookshelf to the corner that looks slightly dusty, a desk to the far right with a few flower necklaces on it, a pink bed to his left, and a few manga books strewn across the room's floor. He observes his surroundings more closely (it's practically ingrained into his head that _safe is better than sorry_) for one more time, and though he recoils slightly from the fact that the manga books are _shoujo_ manga, he comes to a (slightly wary) conclusion.

He is in a kid's room; albeit, a _girl's_ room.

_A young girl at that_, he thinks as he takes in the childish drawings that lay under the bed, and the few dresses hidden in the slightly opened closet to his left.

And now, he is utterly stumped, because he _knows _he has died (in a rather painful way, if he says so himself), and surely the gods up there weren't cruel enough to just dump him in a girl's room and _leave him there like a sitting duck waiting to be killed?_

Perhaps it was Reborn's suggestion that spurred the idea on, and the gods just agreed because they had nothing better to do.

He hopes that the girl – or rather, the girl's mother – would not mind too much about finding a random grown man entangled in her daughter's bed sheets.

Speaking of which, what's up with his body? He feels abnormally small and weak (something he hasn't felt in a _long _time) and _why does his chest feel so strange?_

It is at that moment that young Tsunayoshi finally takes a good look at his own self and _shrieks _because he's suddenly shrunk to a child and his hair is long, (reaching down to his shoulder blades) longer than it should have been and no longer as _fluffy. _

(Tsuna knows that hell_ always_ freezes over when his hair stops becoming fluffy).

And that isn't the worst of it at all, no, because to Tsuna's horror, he is currently wearing _bright pink_ pajamas embroidered with cute little frogs.

To his knowledge (small as it is) Tsuna knows for a fact that he has never worn _pink_ pajamas in his life; past, present, _and _future. Ever.

But then horror moves on quickly to agonizing terror as he rushes out of the room (barely noticing that the house was almost in the same design as his own old house) and to the bathroom that he silently notes he shouldn't have known to be there. But that isn't important now.

_What _is _important,_ he thinks as he flings off his shirt and pants and other clothes, cringing at the loss of muscle and body mass, _is that-_

Tsunayoshi blanches. And stares. And then stares again. And then stares again once more at the unforgiving mirror that stares back, because he is sure he hasn't killed enough people to deserve this - _no, it can't be._

But it is.

_OH MY GOD. _

And on that fateful day when he should have died, Sawada Tsunayoshi breaks the peaceful morning of the Sawada household as he realizes that he is suddenly a _she_, de-aged back to a child and still very much _alive. _

"HIEEEEEEEEEE!"

_Slump._

And as the world starts to turn black, Tsuna personally thinks that in the end, it is probably Reborn's fault that got him (or _her_) into this mess; it always has, and even if the baby was halfway across the universe, dead or alive - it always will be.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"-na-chan? Tsuna-chan, are you in there?"

When Tsunayoshi comes to, it is to the sound of an eerily familiar voice tinged with a familiar kind of worry. He opens his eyes and is instantly on his feet, reflexes honed from years of fighting telling him to find the enemy and _eliminate_, all the while searching for any exits that he can use. He finds two; one behind him as a window (too small, he briefly thinks) and one in front of him – a bathroom door.

…

Come to think of it, why was he knocked out unconscious on a _bathroom_ floor? Surely there are better places to hind a body, like a warehouse, or a dumpster, or a forest, or hell, even a _closet_ would have been better.

_Speaking of which,_ Tsuna absent-mindedly thinks in the back of his mind as he eyes his surroundings warily, _this bathroom looks kind of familiar…_

In fact the bathroom he is in looks exactly the one he used for the first fifteen years of his life, back when he lived in Namimori as a Dame, with only video-games as company until his insane tutor Reborn showed up and then everything went into chaos. (And then suddenly, he was making friends – loyal and trustworthy, his _family_ – left and right, where explosions became a daily occurrence and if there was a single day where an assassination attempt _didn't_ happen, Tsuna instantly was suspicious). It was back when his mother was still happy and oblivious, back when it was homework assignments he had constantly worried about, instead of _war_ and things like whether he and his friends would make it till tomorrow in the future.

It is then that Tsuna stops taking in his surroundings like an unknown battlefield, and actually _takes in_ where he is.

Idly, as if he is in a dream, he realizes that he _is_ in his own bathroom, in the Sawada household in Namimori, and the only difference that really mattered was that instead of the usual pair of blue and pink toothbrushes lying in the glass cup by the sink, there is an extra red one. And still, in that dream-like trance, he shivers briefly from being exposed to the cool air given by the air conditioner, and casually looks down and wonders; why is he naked and tiny and without a –

Oh.

"Tsuna-chan? Tsuna-chan, are you okay? Do you need help?" And it is only his mother's familiar concerned voice that keeps him from shrieking again from horror and _maybe_ passing out again because _holyshit what the hell are these -_

"Tsuna-chan?" His mother's voice once again cuts through his thoughts, and this time, it is with a more concerned tone as there is no immediate answer.

Scrambling to gather his clothes, Tsuna calls back in a slightly shaky voice,

"I'm okay, ka-san! I just, um, fell off the toilet because I was asleep, and then I, uh, kept on sleeping!" He winces slightly at the high-pitched voice that comes out of his mouth (gods, it's been a while since he last sounded so girly and – oh wait, maybe that's because he now _is_ a girl-) and winces even harder at the pathetic excuse that came out with it.

But apparently, that is the norm for the female (he groans at the thought) Sawada Tsunayoshi, because the only thing he gets in reply is a,

"Oh, again? Alright, try being a bit more careful next time, okay?"

He (_she,_ a voice suspiciously sounding like Reborn's smugly suggests in his head) lets out a weak affirmation, and begins to put back on his clothes, making sure not to open his eyes while doing so.

All the while, he tries to clamp down the panic that's threatening to leap from his chest and thinks in a not-so-calm-voice,

_What the hell is going on?_

-o-o-o-o-o-

After a few failed attempts of putting on girl undergarments blind, Tsuna finally gets the hang of it and - still red-faced - walks silently to the room he had rushed out of.

Surprisingly enough, it is not the room he had in the past. Instead, the room belonging to the girl is the one next to it, replacing the second guest room he had in the past. Walking in quickly, he shuts the door, briefly mourning the broken lock on the doorknob, and begins to snoop around. He has a sinking feeling about what has happened, and since his intuition has never failed – well, it wouldn't hurt to have more information, would it?

Half an hour and a thorough search later, Tsuna is starting to think that yes, maybe it would.

Though he is female, in this world, he is still Sawada Tsunayoshi, simply because _she_ was expected to turn out a _he_, and his father had been too lazy to pick a female name.

_In this world._

_I'm in a parallel world. And from the looks of it, I'll be here for a while._

Moaning pitifully, Tsunayoshi wonders why he can't just die peacefully and _stay dead _instead of popping into his parallel selves' lives.

He bangs his head on a nearby wall and decides to blame Reborn once more; the baby probably just wanted to see Tsuna squirm like the good ol' times in a new way - as a _girl._

_In this world_.

In this world, Sawada Tsunayoshi is a female, and (according to the multiple diaries hidden in a small compartment in her desk) is still a Dame, with low grades and non-existent friends, has no athletic skills at all, dreams of being saved by a dashing prince, and is ten, along with her younger twin brother, Sawada Takahiro.

Though he is twenty-six and has been a mafia boss for almost half those years, and though he knows he should take it like a man and bear with it all, Tsuna can't help but wail slightly at his luck.

_Why is it always me?_

-o-o-o-o-o-

Briefly he considers tracking down Byakuran and asking for his help, but then shuts that line of thinking down before it can even become a full thought.

As friendly as he was in his own world, Tsuna doesn't want to approach within a ten meter radius of the marshmallow loving eccentric without being fully armed and trained (physically _and _mentally) for their inevitable meeting.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It isn't until around nine o'clock that Tsuna's mother calls her (_him_, he hastily fixes) and his 'brother' down for breakfast; he waits patiently for the thumps of another pair of feet to go down the stairs first before walking out of his room.

Despite the lovely drawings and fantastic dreams the Sawada Tsunayoshi of this world has written, little information is given on what her brother is like, and even less on how exactly _Tsuna _should act.

Because for all his past girly screeches and previous-now-embarrassing female-like attitude, the Tsuna of now has absolutely no roundabout idea on how he should act towards his semi-familiar family as a _girl_.

Squaring his tiny shoulders, he takes in a deep breath and decides to just roll with it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

And surprisingly enough, it isn't that hard to fall back to his former 'Dame' personality.

Perhaps it is because he is still disoriented and not used to having a shorter, smaller, _female_ body (something he vows to fix quickly), or maybe it is because the Tsunayoshi of this world is naturally clumsy (he wouldn't be surprised if she is), but before Tsuna can reach the last step on the stairs, he overreaches and trips - the familiar feeling of falling and sore pain afterwards was more of a comfort to reassure him that he wasn't actually going crazy.

The boisterous sound of a child laughing reaches his ears as he lifts himself gingerly up from the floor. Apparently, the Tsunayoshi here also has problems with bullies, and has a few leftover bruises from a previous beating. Judging from the slight pain on her back and legs, he guesses that they are only a week fresh. (And here, Tsuna seethes quietly in anger, because who would dare to actually beat up a _little girl_ for her faults? Even back at his own world, beatings were few and far in between, as there was always a bloodthirsty prefect looking for a good reason to 'bite someone to death').

Tsuna's attention is then brought to the laughing child that sits at the table, a boy that looks startlingly like his own younger self in the other world, with the only differences being hair that is a shade lighter, and a pair of bright blue eyes.

(Later, Tsuna realizes that if he cuts his hair and changes to more gender-neutral clothes, he would look just like he had in the past - because the Tsunayoshi of here has the same small frame, the same chocolate-colored eyes, and if he cuts it, the same gravity-defying hair).

"Hahaha! Tsuna, you're so hopeless," The child, (or _Takahiro_, as he should now call him), laughs haughtily, eyes filled with humor, and to Tsuna's concern, a bit of malice as well. But he shakes it off and rubs the back of his head, slightly surprised by the reminder of his now long hair, and smiles nervously.

"Ah, sorry, I just tripped…" He forces his voice into a whisper, barely audible, and winces mentally at the girl-like sound that it makes. And before Takahiro can comment in return, his mother returns from the kitchen and brightens at the sight of him.

"Tsuna-chan! Come, join us for breakfast!" It takes a great effort on Tsuna's part to not shed the tears that suddenly spring up in his eyes, because _he really missed his mother._ The Sawada Nana of his other world was safe and alive, thankfully, but she was not the same after finding out about the mafia, and the death of Iemitsu later cemented her loss of normalcy. To say it was depressing to see his mother in that state was putting it nicely, because it broke his heart. And even now, to see her whole and happy again, still brings that tightening of his chest that he isn't sure will go away quickly enough with time.

Luckily enough, the rest of the Sawada household is too busy eating and cooking to pay attention to Tsuna's brief lapse into his memories. Shaking his head from wayward thoughts, he piles into his chair and begins to eat silently, content with just filling himself to the brim with his mother's nostalgic cooking.

For a few minutes, the table is silent with only the sounds of chewing and frying eggs filling the air. But it is quickly broken when Nana sits down at the table to eat as well, and asks an innocent question.

"So, what are you dears planning on doing for the rest of summer break? There are two more weeks left," She reminds, and Tsuna is grateful for it, because it is another piece of information that files into his head for later use.

Takahiro is the first to answer, in his loud, excited voice. "Me and my friends are going to the park; we're going to play baseball! Then we're going to the summer festival this Friday, and then –"And he continues on, describing all of his plans in detail to his mother, while Tsuna listens on, smiling all the way. Despite the mocking way Takahiro treats Tsuna, he seems like a good kid; rude, short-tempered, and brash, but still a kid – innocent and loving to his family.

After five minutes of non-stop chatter that Tsuna is content to listen to, his mother stops Takahiro for a moment, corrects some of his grammar mistakes, and turns to Tsuna.

"And you, Tsuna-chan? What are your plans?" Tsuna opens his mouth to reply, inwardly panicking because he doesn't know what this Tsunayoshi has planned, only to clamp it shut when his brother answers for him.

"Oka-san, you don't have to worry about her. She has no friends, so she'll just end reading her stupid manga and playing video games all day long." Tsuna frowns. Even if it is the truth, as a brother, Takahiro shouldn't be talking about his sister in that way. He looks at his mother, but she makes no move to admonish her son's words. Instead, she gives a worried frown.

"Oh my," But then instantly brightens. "Hiro-kun, how about you take Tsuna-chan to play with you and your friends? Then you all can play together and have fun!"

Takahiro shakes his head vehemently in response.

"No, oka-san, she'll ruin everything! My friends don't like her at all because she's a 'Dame' and she always loses at sports so she'll just make us all lose!" The boy is panting slightly at the end of his complaint, but Tsuna doesn't really care. How could a brother treat his sibling in such a way?

(Tsuna then crosses off 'loving to his family' on his knowledge of Takahiro, and inserts instead - 'loving to his mother,' because really, the only words that seem to come out of the kid's mouth when talking to Tsunayoshi were either mocking or derogatory).

What is even worse than the barbed words that Takahiro carelessly throws is the reaction Nana gives in response to them.

"Hm? Oh, that's too bad." Tsuna's mother frowns momentarily, and to Tsuna's shock, smiles and asks Takahiro another question, to which he happily answers.

While Tsunayoshi knows that parallel worlds are similar and _not _the same, he has not expected his family to be so… heartless. Though still the caring Nana that loves him as a mother should, and though Takahiro is the innocent, cheerful brother that he had wished for when he was younger - behind their cheerful faces, it seems as if there is an accepted and unmovable fact between them.

_Tsuna is a Dame, with no friends and no hope in grades, sports, and future plans. She always has been, and always will be. _

With a sigh, Tsuna leans back into his chair and rubs his head.

_Looks like I have my life cut out for me already in this world. _

He narrows his eyes at the thought.

_It won't stay like that for long. _

-o-o-o-o-o-

And so begins the life of Sawada Tsunayoshi: age ten, useless, with no friends, no hope, no life, and _female._ But if there is one thing that boils down from all she has learned from her tutor, it is to never give up without giving your all - to die only when you have no regrets.

(He's done it before, so why can't he do it again?)

~0~0~0~

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**A fun chapter for me to write with - and poor, poor Tsuna. But after putting him into a traumatic situation, I think I can understand why Reborn enjoys torturing him so much - it's insanely fun. In my opinion. **

**With all my excitement on writing and posting, I haven't gotten a chance to go too deep into proof-reading, especially with the present tense usage (even if I read it over a few times), so if anything is amiss, please do let me know. **

**And of course, reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.**

**Regards,**

**Searching. For. Enadi. **


	2. Chapter II: As a Dame

**So here comes chapter II - something I never thought I would be able to write. But with the amount of people interested I thought - "Hey, why not?" **

**Thus, much thanks to those who subscribed, and especially to those who reviewed - your thoughts helped me plow through this chapter like there was no tomorrow. **

**Enjoy.**

**Pairings: As said before, probably non-existent, with the occasional crush here and there that I might use just for amusement's sake. **

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**Disclaimer: KHR does not belong in any way or form to me, nor will it ever be. I don't think I would ever be able to create something that massive and amazing.**

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**Chapter II: As a Dame…**

And for the rest of the day, Tsuna focuses on avoiding his family and having a major heart attack at the same time.

He is able to meet the former and barely manage the latter: the former because the Sawada matriarch is too busy handling the fussy Takahiko, and the latter because though he has seen a lot of crazy things happen, it doesn't mean he can take to switching genders so smoothly.

He decides that his mentor would agree with his oncoming nervous breakdown; the baby had been a man before, and any man would agree that his world would end if he woke up and found himself without a –

He stops his line of thinking right there. He will not think about it, he will not think about it, he will not think about it, he will _not-_

And it is with that silent mantra in his head that Tsuna quietly places his dishes in the sink and walks silently to his room, ignoring the calls of his jeering younger brother.

He has better things to do right now.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When he enters the room (or his room, he amends), the first thing Tsuna does is look for clothes that doesn't have _pink _on it.

Sadly enough, the young Tsunayoshi of here is a girl, and though she doesn't seem very girly in that aspect, pink is still her favorite color. So it is with much moaning and silent weeping when Tsuna pulls out a red t-shirt with pink edges and a pair of jeans that holds pink butterflies – and finds that these are the closest he can find to anti-pink clothes.

And as he closes his eyes to strip and put on the garments, Tsuna briefly thinks about the departure of his pride as a man and wonders if he'll ever be able to call it his 'manly' pride anymore.

When he opens his eyes and sees pink glaring back at him, he resignedly thinks, _no, not anymore._

Sighing he climbs onto his pink bed and sits cross-legged on the mattress. Closing his eyes he thinks about how he will live from now on.

(Though he hasn't seen him in a long time, Tsuna still keeps his mentor's lessons to heart and remembers almost all of them).

_Lesson number thirty-four: Remember, Dame Tsuna, don't think about what you can't do or how you _ended_ up there; instead, think about what you _can _do and where you're _going _from there. _

-o-o-o-o-o-

That night when Tsuna goes to bed, it is with slight wariness and the greatest urge to pee.

But of course, that urge is ignored with the will that Tsuna was so famous for before dying. Just because he has accepted that he no longer male now doesn't mean he is willing to divulge further into the mystery-that-is-female; he's had enough reminders to last him for _at least _a month. (To be honest, part of him is still hoping that everything that has just happened is just part of a crazy dream that comes with death, but his intuition tells him otherwise).

So it is with that wariness and great urge that Tsuna closes his eyes, fervently hoping that perhaps tomorrow will give him better answers than today and that perhaps whoever is up there would take pity and give the young Tsunayoshi her body back.

…

He is not surprised when both hopes are crushed; the former, at least, is fulfilled by a parallel Giotto in his dreams that night. The latter by said ancestor's apology on the malfunction of soul collection that just happened to take place the moment Tsuna had exhaled his last breath.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"So, you're saying that there was a malfunction in the system that caused my floating soul to sink into my parallel self's body and switch places with her soul, instead of heading off to wherever the dead really should go?" There is an obvious hint of disbelief coloring his voice, but Tsuna's parallel ancestor only gives a small, sheepish smile and answers,

"Well, yes, that is the gist of it," And before Tsuna can add in his own, more probable thoughts for the true reason he is stuck in a girl's body, Giotto unwittingly cuts in. "And no, Tsunayoshi-kun, it was not Reborn's fault that got you into this mess."

Tsuna refrains from showing his once again overwhelming disbelief; though he supposes he isn't trying hard enough, judging by faint amusement glowing in his ancestor's face. But he decides that issues involving Reborn's meddling can wait – he has more pressing details to deal with right now.

"And when will the female Tsuna come back to take her body again?" For a few minutes there is only complete silence in the dark world they are in. Tsuna watches with slight fascination as the ever-strong model figure he has always looked up to fiddles and harps in embarrassment, complete with wringing hands and nervous eyes.

"Well, you see, Tsunayoshi-kun," Suddenly, he feels that cold pit in his stomach that his intuition always brought when things are _not good_. "There is a _slight_ problem with the system-"

And then Tsuna knows his life (or death) is now over because if there is one thing that is constant throughout his whole life, it is that there is no such thing as a _slight _problem. (As he knows his Sun would put it: they were always _extreme_ in some way or another).

"- because your souls' have switched, your own is now tied to her body - because they're _parallel_ souls – while hers has moved on to the afterlife – "

With a blank face, Tsuna listens on to Giotto's intellectual rant and thinks, _extreme indeed._

" – this world is the closest to your own, Tsunayoshi-kun, so it will be very tough to pull you out without collapsing the child's body, or even worse, the world itself. So, uh, you're kind of stuck,"

Here Giotto ends a bit lamely, but Tsuna is not focusing on the less-than-elegant way his parallel ancestor has completed his speech. For a moment, his mind goes blank as he tries to wrap around the obvious fact that no, he cannot pass on to the afterlife (unless he wants to, y'know, destroy seven billion people, which he doesn't) and that the closest parallel worlds to his own has a Tsunayoshi as a _female._

He mentions the latter to his ancestor, but Giotto only waves his hand in an elegant way to wave it away.

"A minor setback," He soothes, ignoring Tsuna's indignant squawks of how switching genders is _not _a minor setback_ thankyouverymuch_, in favor of continuing on. "But if you must know, there is a way you can leave this world without endangering it. However…"

Tsuna hears the hesitation, and though he wonders why the suggestion hasn't been given to him immediately, he waits patiently for the parallel Vongola Primo to finish.

"Your body here would have to stop functioning so that the system can take your soul safely out."

The warning is very clear. _You can only leave when there is no body for your soul to live in._

And although he knows he is a maybe soft-hearted, and perhaps too emotional for a mafia boss, Tsuna had not just departed his world to go to the after world as a coward. In his past world, suicide was considered the 'last-resort' option at best and a cowardly way to leave the world at worst. He has long since left his 'Dame' life behind, thrown the cowardliness and fear for courage and strength; he will not give up those values so easily.

When Tsuna looks up from his thinking to look at his ancestor from another world, he is not surprised to see Giotto smiling – the man has already seen his resolve, his will, and it is met with approval.

_"Whichever Tsunayoshi-kun you are – from my world or another – I knew you would always make the best choice," _

He wakes up in the morning – still weak, still with that urge, and still female, but for the first time since coming to this strange, strange world - with a true smile on his face.

-o-o-o-o-o-

For the next two weeks Tsuna does the best he can to assimilate into the new Sawada household, as well as trying to adjust to the sudden … body issues that comes with being female.

Even now he is still trying to erase the images and feelings that he came from going to the bathroom for the first time. He had rushed to the bathroom just moments after waking from his meeting with Giotto, the urge being too great for even his famous will to handle - and it was an absolutely horrifying experience.

(Five minutes passed till he realized he had to sit and just _release_ and after doing that take some toilet paper and - )

He will not think about it. He will not. He will not think about it. No. Just, no.

Thus, for two weeks Tsuna takes his time getting used to his 'new' family - with a whole new brother who he tries to get to know better and a mother who he tries to understand more – and getting used to his own _female_ body.

(He finds that his body here is utterly weak and defenseless – something he has been trying to fix, but that takes time and really, all his body can actually handle right now is an hour run around Namimori and even then he is still panting and wheezing from the exercise).

But two weeks is just fourteen days, and before he knows it, the school term begins – too soon and too fast. Sighing, Tsuna tugs at his newly cut hair (cut messily by himself when his mother had not remembered her promise to do so, but it is once again _fluffy_ to his relief), buttons up the plain red t-shirt he stole from Takahiro's closet (the kid hadn't even noticed), and pulls on his orange-colored shoes. It is to his relief that now, when he looks at his reflection, he is only able to see a Tsunayoshi of the past, back when he was young and innocent and _male. _The familiar look becomes a comfort to him that he has not changed – his is still Tsuna.

But still, today is the day he has dreaded and looked forward to for his whole two weeks here.

And he's not sure if he can hold back his emotions if he sees any of his family – parallel or not - again so soon.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Thankfully enough, Tsuna does not meet any of his guardians throughout the school day. Takeshi is now placed in the classroom next door; Ryohei is in the floor above; Hayato is probably still in Italy; and his ever so favorite prefect is probably scouring the town for any misbehaving residents.

(Although he is saddened by the fact that he does see any of his family, the feeling is taken over by the relief that he will not have to deal with them yet. It's too soon for him to see the faces of the ones he has left and the ones that had left him first).

"Class, today we will have a review quiz – it is to see how much you have remembered over the summer. I don't expect you to remember all of it, but take out a pencil anyway." And while the class groans collectively, Tsuna just shrugs mentally at the announcement. He glances at his twin, who is sitting across two seats to his right, but Takahiro simply has a bored look on his face, twirling his pencil impatiently between his fingers.

Throughout his whole two weeks with him, Tsuna has come to find that Takahiro is actually a rather good student. He knows that the Tsunayoshi here, with her average 40's and such, is barely scraping by while her brother smoothly sails academically and, judging by the frequent games he's had with his friends, athletically as well. After all, maintaining an above 90 average in most of your classes is an impressive feat, even at an elementary level, considering it all.

But Tsunayoshi is twenty-six and not worried about the simple test. If he fails at even an elementary level test, he doesn't know what will be worse: the humiliation that would come with it or the amount of pain Reborn will give him if the hit man ever finds out about it when Tsuna returns to the afterlife.

(Though he highly doubts that the hit man wouldn't; Reborn had always that uncanny sense of just _knowing)_.

For safety measures though, he decides to not answer all the questions correctly – it wouldn't do for a student failing academically to suddenly be getting perfect scores all the time. Gradual improvement would be best, and if he thinks about it, Cheater Tsuna does sound less appealing when compared to Dame Tsuna.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Despite the abundance of it in the past few weeks, Tsuna's luck runs out after another week or so of peaceful days. The moment Tsuna wakes up to feel that familiar cold pit in his stomach one Friday morning, he knows that his days of relative peace are over.

It starts off normally enough. He wakes up, changes into a comfortable pair of khaki pants and a white button-up (it is only now that his is able to look at himself completely without cringing at his different body), washes up in the bathroom (he will not think about it), and silently walks down to the kitchen. Giving a small smile at the sight of his mother cooking, he gives a quiet, but firm 'good morning' to his twin brother – who only scoffs and turns the other way.

Tsuna decides that this is improvement; the first time he had approached Takahiro in this way did not end well, with the boy insulting Tsuna's failures and his mother just nodding along. But while Tsuna is not loud by nature, he needs his brother to understand that he is not the timid Tsunayoshi that would shrink away at every insult - even if he does not speak a word.

He refrains from patting Takahiro's not-as-fluffy head (he knows that the almost-blond will explode if he does so) and instead heads off to help his mother set up the table. Nana in return gives a bright smile and hands him a few plates.

And so breakfast passes by without much of a hassle, with the chatter between the louder twin and his mother filling the air and only a few sharp jeers flung at the quiet Tsuna. Thirty minutes later finds Tsuna slipping on his sneakers and waving a hurried goodbye to his mother as he keeps in step with his grumbling brother; they had taken too long with eating, and if they don't hurry, they will be late to school.

(For both brothers, it is the result that comes with being late and not actually being so that has them both running to Namimori Elementary School in fervent worry. After all, no one likes to be bitten to death).

But despite knowing shortcuts that would get them both to school in seven minutes instead of fifteen, Tsuna does not mention any of it to his clueless brother. Perhaps it is because he does not want to give the information to the still-vicious Takahiro (despite the growing fondness he has for the brash boy), or perhaps it is because he knows that his body will not be able to handle the long jumps and sharp corners that comes with following those passages. But as they pass another alley that would have cut their travelling distance by half, Tsuna silently thinks in his head that perhaps it is because it would be good to see a family member once again, despite the parallel differences.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Luckily enough for the brothers, they both arrive at the school entrance just two minutes shy of homeroom. They do not stop running though (it is common knowledge to run; you are not safe from the resident prefect until you enter the classroom), and despite the feeling of disappointment that tugs at his heart, Tsuna is relieved. Maybe the gods have finally took pity on him and have decided to let him have one more day without any chaos –

"You are late, herbivores."

-Or maybe not.

Simultaneously, both Takahiro and Tsuna stop and turn to face the impassive one of Hibari Kyouya. (Once again, it is common knowledge. If you do not stop for Hibari Kyouya, he will stop you; if you turn your back on him – well, just pray that there will still be a body intact for you use when he is through with you).

Hastily, but in one smooth motion, Tsuna straightens his back and bows, clasping his hand on Takahiro's to do the same - the boy himself is too afraid to do much but stay still. And for all his arrogance, Tsuna's twin still has some of the ingrained intuition that comes with being a descendant of Giotto; the boy knows that he is in the presence of someone dangerous and that doing something obnoxious will probably be the end of him.

"I apologize, Hibari-senpai," Tsuna says in a quiet tone. His voice does not shake even once and his back does not waver. "It will not happen again,"

And he stays in that position, bowing for another minute before pulling himself up and dragging his stock-still brother away. The prefect has not said anything, but Tsuna knows Kyouya well enough that if a tonfa is not thrown at you twenty seconds after staying still, you are free to go.

With a grunt he gently shakes the wide-eyed Takahiro – but gets no response. Sighing at his luck, Tsuna grabs his brother by the collar and proceeds to drag the boy with some difficulty through the entrance, all the while trying to ignore the heated stare boring into his back from a certain prefect. Carefully, so that it is done without notice, Tsuna draws his aura closer within himself – tightening it into a tiny ball so that his presence is not as prominent. It will not do to catch the parallel Cloud's attention so quickly; the prefect back in his world had always transfixed himself to whatever interested him – and Tsuna has no plans on being that interest.

So he continues to struggle with the heavier weight of his brother and move forward, back towards the prefect now that permission has been granted. Step by step he moves on, all the while crushing down the tears that threaten to leap from his heart to his eyes and breathing evenly to clear his clogged, burning throat.

After all, his Cloud had been the first to leave his side, in the most painful and violent manner. Aged at twenty-one, Kyouya, in all his blood lust and pride, had been brought down by squads of mafia men that had come as reinforcements after the tonfa-user had eliminated over dozens of men single-handedly.

The former-prefect's body had been found one desperate week of searching later, in a ditch fifty miles away from the bloody battlefield.

Tsuna quickly shakes his head to rid all of his memories of his previous life and takes in a deep breath.

Though he does not want to approach the prefect (after all, this isn't _his_ Hibari, the one he grew up and fought along with), Tsuna has long decided no one deserves a death like Kyouya's; the least he can do is watch over Hibari – and the rest of his family's parallels – from afar so that none of them will end up dead, like the way some of his loved ones have.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Three weeks later, Tsuna is starting believe that perhaps the gods actually have selective hearing. He has decided on watching his parallel family from _afar_, not up close and personal, but apparently that isn't how things work anymore.

After a whole month of staying in this new world, Tsuna is starting to get slightly used to it. He is slowly becoming more comfortable with his current body, and though it's painfully clear how not-_male_ his body is when taking a shower and changing, he still looks like his former self, and that is a comfort enough for him.

"Sawada," Blinking away his straying thoughts, Tsuna rises from his seat and walks to the front to grab his test. The teacher, who goes by the name of Suzume-sensei, hands the paper over to him and comments in slight surprise, "Much better than before, Sawada. Keep up the good work."

Whispers break out into classroom as Tsuna gives a sincere, warm smile in thanks and heads back to his seat. Glancing at the red '70' blaring back at him, he smiles once more. His steady improvement in grades brings hardly any suspicion within the class - ever since his arrival he has taken to writing notes diligently and reviewing extra ones during breaks. His classmates are only slightly annoyed, and most of his teachers are more delighted than suspicious at another student improving under their tutelage.

(Nobody needs to know that the extra notes are actually complex ones on English that Tsuna has taken to reviewing. Though his Japanese and Italian are still perfect, he has decided that going over the languages he is still rusty at will probably help him in the long run).

Tucking the test neatly into his folder, Tsuna watches as his brother is called to the front as well. After looking expectantly at his paper, Takahiro gives a loud whoop at his 95 and grins wildly at the praises his classmates shower him with. It is at that moment that the two brothers meet each other's eyes and Tsuna gives a nod and a proud smile to his brother. Literature has always been a weak spot for Takahiro; the 95 is an achievement that probably has the boy proud beyond words. But despite the encouraging actions Tsuna has given, Takahiro in return simply scowls and looks sharply away, shoving his test none-too-gently into his bag.

(Tsuna considers it lucky that he is seated behind his twin; that way, the boy cannot see the bright grin Tsuna gives at the sight of his brother's redredred ears).

Four periods later finds Tsuna on the school's rooftop, eating his self-made bento and looking over his notes on sentence structures for the Chinese language. He has taken to eating on the rooftop during lunch because though the animosity from his classmates has somewhat dulled to neutrality, Tsuna sees no reason to stay in a stuffy room filled with chattering children when the roof has a brilliant view of the sky. Here, there is nothing but him and the open sky; and when he closes his eyes, Tsuna can just imagine himself back in his own world, where he was surrounded by his family, the people that he _knew_.

Hastily shaking his head to clear his head, Tsuna takes a bite of his slightly burned egg omelet and grimaces. He is going to have to do something about the quality of his lunches if it continues on like this. Though his mother usually packs a lunch, there has already been a few times where she has forgotten to do it in this month alone.

(Silently he hopes for himself and the Tsunayoshi of before that this Sawada Nana is just preoccupied with the oncoming soccer tournament that Takahiro will be partaking in, and that her forgetfulness is only temporary).

Sighing, Tsuna closes the lid of his bento and puts it to the side. He shifts to the right to find a more comfortable position and puts his notes away; perhaps a small nap will relieve his wayward thoughts. Raising his gaze to the blue sky, Tsuna briefly notices that a lot of fluffy clouds are filling it today. Speaking of clouds –

_He feels a familiar warmth flaring into his stomach and –_

With another sigh, Tsuna tilts slightly to the right, letting the flying tonfa embed itself into the concrete wall, barely missing his left ear by an inch.

And just for appearance sakes, he forces his body to scramble to its feet and widens his eyes just enough to let the prefect know he has been successfully startled. Turning, Tsuna blinks, unsurprised to see the impending figure that stands on the roof's ledge, perfectly balanced and staring at him with narrowed, dark eyes.

"Students of the Namimori Elementary School are not allowed to loiter on the roof without permission," Kyouya states coolly. "For breaking the school regulations, I will bite you to death."

Tsuna stares. Is it really against the rules to eat on the rooftop during lunch?

(Inwardly, Tsuna muses that the eyes that had watched him every day for the past three weeks during lunch had probably been HIbari's, and wonders why the prefect is calling him out on it now).

"I'm sorry, Hibari-senpai, I did not know. I will make sure to not to do it again." Smoothly picking up his forgotten notes and bento, Tsuna begins to walk slowly to the door that leads back to the school, still facing the prefect. (He again pushes back the familiar feeling of overwhelming nostalgia at seeing a face that he had long accepted to be dead -).

"Herbivore," He winces silently at the burning look in Hibari's eyes. He should know better than to assume Hibari would let him go unharmed for a second time. Reflexively, Tsuna double checks his flames and presence (both have been suppressed to match a normal child's), and shakes his head. It doesn't matter how far he suppresses himself. Hibari – no matter the world – has always had a sixth sense for powerful people.

(And though his body here is pathetically week, he still cannot seem to hide his inner strength that was cultivated and used ever since he became a mafia boss; it is probably that presence that has caught the prefect's notice).

Once again, Tsuna tilts his head to the left, still musing over his Cloud in his thoughts; the _whoosh_ of Hibari's other tonfa flies by him not a second later.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi -" Tsuna widens his eyes in surprise. The Kyouya of his world had not called him by his own name until much, much later into their lives. "- is a pathetic herbivore, age ten, with below average grades and an equally pathetic herbivore for a brother,"

Tsuna stays absolutely silent as the prefect narrows his eyes.

"But you are not her." Twitching slightly at being called a 'her,' Tsuna nevertheless gives a small smile that is completely sincere. He is not really that surprised at Hibari's suspicion; even before the prefect had moved on to the middle school (which he remembers brought much celebration to the elementary one), Kyouya had taken to watching over the school and its students very carefully. It will only be a few years before Hibari extends his boundaries to the whole town as well.

"No, Hibari-senpai," And it is only through knowing him for years that Tsuna sees the slight twitch of Hibari's hands – there is no doubt that the prefect is itching to kill him. "I have just grown up. I am still Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Which isn't a lie; he _is_ still Sawada Tsunayoshi, just not of this world. And when the prefect narrows his eyes even further, Tsuna knows that the prefect can sense nothing but honesty from his words.

And then the prefect is gone, suddenly appearing right next to Tsuna with his tonfas returned to his hands and swinging his right hand down. Tsuna only has a mere second to dodge the blow, but he is not completely successful, as the tonfa's blade grazes against his arm and leaves a tear in his uniform.

Sighing once more at his luck, Tsuna dodges another blow with a sharp turn of his body to the left. They continue like this for a while, with Hibari gradually increasing the speed of his blows and Tsuna just barely avoiding the hits.

(Tsuna doesn't even bothering trying to protest against the prefect's sudden aggression. He knows he'll get no answers and walking away from the fight would probably anger the prefect and not appease).

But Hibari is anything but patient. With each dodge, Tsuna can feel the strain in his body and knows that the growing aggression in each of Hibari's blows won't stop until something stops _Hibari._

And despite the lack of grace and efficiency the future Hibari will have, this Hibari is still ridiculously deadly with – and without - his tonfas. Against Tsuna's much weaker and slower body, Tsuna knows he has no chance of stopping the prefect. So he spares a glance at the clock on the school's tower (and sacrifices a piece of his uniform to do so) and finds with relief that lunch will be over in just a minute.

In a single desperate move, Tsuna ducks under another quick swipe for his head and sweeps his feet under the prefect. Hibari jumps up, but Tsuna is already expecting that, and in one swift motion, flips and kicks up, barely catching the prefect's moving feet and causing him to stumble. Hibari in turn lands smoothly on one hand and jumps to move on his feet.

But Tsuna takes that slight distraction to dash for the door (picking up his strewn things in his running) and calls out to the glaring prefect,

"Sorry, Hibari-senpai, but class is starting right now and I don't want to be late so _I'llseeyoulaterokaybye!_"

And then in the midst of his rush, Tsuna trips and falls down the stairs leading to the floor below, but he doesn't mind. He's had worse, and the pain is nothing compared to the amount he would've gotten if he had stayed and the prefect hadn't let him go.

(He knows he is not fast enough to run away from _Hibari,_ so it is only obvious that the prefect had let him – mercifully – go this time).

When Tsuna enters the classroom just a few minutes late, he is glad that he doesn't gather much attention despite his tattered uniform and the various bruises and cuts littering his body. The English teacher only raises his eyebrow while, surprisingly enough, Takahiro turns and stares at with a strange expression on his face. Tsuna gives a reassuring smile to his twin, who in return scoffs and looks away.

But throughout the rest of the day, when Tsuna sees Takahiro glancing back more than once in his direction, he can't help but smile brightly.

Perhaps his twin is finally starting to warm up to him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Or perhaps not_, Tsuna thinks, when he is shoved to the side by his sneering brother at the end of day. But it doesn't matter; because if there is one thing he wants to do most in this world – besides watching over his Family – it is to know his twin better.

Tsuna has seen Takahiro's eyes and they are filled with arrogance and innocence. But behind all that confidence is a pool of bitterness and perhaps loneliness as well, so it makes Tsuna wonder who Takahiro truly is.

(The least Tsuna can do is be a brother that his twin can rely on, right?)

-o-o-o-o-o-

With an exhausted sigh, Tsuna opens his front door and enters the Sawada household. Trudging up the stairs and heading straight to the bathroom for a shower, he stops briefly in surprise to see Takahiro already up and getting ready for school.

It has been two months since his first 'fight' with Hibari, and ever since then, Tsuna has received 'permission' to go to the rooftop every day during lunch.

And so every single day during lunch, Tsuna plays a game of 'Whack the Tsunayoshi' with Hibari for a good twenty minutes before the prefect is satisfied and leaves without a word.

(Tsuna considers it lucky and strangely very nice of Hibari to give him the rest of the period to eat his – still badly cooked – bento and study his notes).

But after month and a half of senseless beatings and tattered uniforms, Tsuna decides that just an hour and a half run around Namimori is not enough; he is sick of having to sew his uniform every day after his mother had forgotten to do it for him.

(To his utter horror, Tsuna finds that after sewing his clothes up every day, he has become rather proficient at sewing. As in doing it _well)_.

So it is with much moaning and self pep-talks that Tsuna begins to redo Reborn's first training regimen with him in his previous life. Along with a two hour run around the town in the afternoon, Tsuna now has begun to run for an hour in the morning as well, and go over different kata forms after. Tsuna usually returns at around 7:30, giving him time to shower (something his female body absolutely adored to do) and get ready.

Which is why Tsuna is so surprised; Takahiro rarely gets up on time, and waking up an hour before school was always perceived as impossible for his twin to do.

But, no, Takahiro is still there, changing into his school clothes that and, after a few minutes of staring, turns and jumps at the sight of his brother. Takahiro gives a yelp and hastily pulls his head into the shirt.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Takahiro asks scathingly after regaining his bearings and putting on his shirt properly.

"Good morning, Taka-kun." Tsuna replies quietly in return and gives a small smile. But there is, as always, firmness in his voice that seems to make Takahiro straighten his back unconsciously.

"Good morning," His twin grumbles and when he sees Tsuna blink in surprise, snaps. "And don't call me Taka-kun! I'm not a baby!"

"Of course, Taka-kun," Tsuna agrees contently, knowing that his brother truly does not mind what Tsuna calls him. "What are you doing up so early?"

"It's none of your business!" Takahiro snaps back, and glares at Tsuna, folding his arms against his chest. "What are _you_ doing up so early?"

"Running," He answers truthfully, and heads for the bathroom. "I felt myself getting fat."

Smiling at Takahiro's snort and annoyed mutter of 'Girls,' Tsuna enters the bathroom and begins to take off his clothes.

Closing his eyes, he enters the shower and sighs in bliss. He is beginning to understand why girls always take so long in the shower – it is a brilliant experience.

(And in the back of his mind, Tsuna thinks briefly that perhaps it isn't so bad: living in a new world, and in a greater sense, being a female).

~0~0~0~

* * *

**I thought it would be best to explain the reasoning for the switch of souls earlier on, so that our dear Tsunayoshi doesn't worry about the original Tsuna of this world. **

**The two have switched because of a certain malfunction when Tsuna was supposed to be led to the afterlife, but instead his soul was tugged in the opposite direction to the closest parallel world. (Of course, there may have been a darker reason behind the switch but... my fingers are sealed). **

**And of course, since this world is the closest to his own, there will be almost no changes in the two worlds, besides the fact that Tsuna's now well, a _girl. _But as the story progresses, the more AU the world will (hopefully) become. So - eventual AU, most likely. **

**I actually had some trouble writing this chapter, and it seems a bit choppy, so any suggestions or grammar point outs would be lovely.**

**Present tense was a killer for this one. **

**There probably will be a time skip sometime during the next chapter, or the one after that. (If I ever do get that far - crosses fingers - ). **

**Thoughts?**

**Regards,**

**Searching. For. Enadi. **


	3. Chapter III: As a sibling

**Well, hello there again. First off, I would like to apologize for the extremely late update; a virus had erased all the work I had on the chapter, and it took much time trying to rewrite and -hopefully- make it better.**

**Also, many FAQ's will also be answered in the author's note below, so be rest assured.**

**And as a WARNING: This chapter will have point of view shifts, so there will probably some gender distinction confusion as well. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will try to explain through clearer terms through PMs and the like.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't. Ever. Never have and never will. Please stop asking.**

* * *

**Chapter III: As a sibling…**

Raising his head from a pile of complicated English notes, Tsuna blinks silently at the strange sight in front of him. Giving a raised eyebrow, he asks in a slightly bemused voice,

"Yes, Hibari-senpai? Is there something the matter?" And then Tsuna gives a small smile when said prefect simply gives a cold, assessing stare. Letting the boy asses him all he wants, Tsuna thinks back briefly on his own current state.

It has been almost six months since he has arrived in this strange-yet-so-familiar world, and even now, Tsuna still can't get completely used to it. Every day when he wakes up in the morning, he can't help but wonder: is it right for him to suddenly take over another's life, regardless of being parallel selves?

(But then on that same morning, every day, he faces Nana's neglect and Takahiro's poisoned-now-dulled words and his classmates' mockery-now-turned-neutrality and then he will remind himself – wherever the young Tsunayoshi is now, she is probably better off there then she was here).

"You," Tsuna snaps back from his thoughts to listen carefully to the clipped words of Hibari. "You have held back, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Quickly, Tsuna suppresses his feelings of surprise at the prefect actually noticing and then shakes his head ruefully; of course Hibari would notice. Granted, for all of their fights on the rooftop it was more of Tsuna constantly dodging and not actually 'holding back,' but he supposes that Hibari would still take offense to that.

And though he is pretty sure no else would have been able to, Tsuna had known Kyouya for _years_ – despite the parallel differences - and so he can easily discern the frustration in Hibari's words, mixed with a sense of eagerness and… with a tiny, minuscule, microscopic bit of hurt?

Oh?

Tilting his mouth upwards in amusement, Tsuna pulls himself up from the floor and schools an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, senpai, but I believe that you are mistaken. I don't believe that I have held back at all." Which was the total truth; because six months of extensive training on an already weakened body could not compare to Hibari's many years of experience.

(It is here that Tsuna purposely ignores the fact that he's had over a decade to hone his own instincts and intuition – a physical limitation like a weak body was really at best only a minor disadvantage).

"Starting from tomorrow, you are to battle without any hindrance – if you don't, I will bite you to death." In the back of his mind, Tsuna mentally rolls his eyes as the prefect continues on as if he had not just heard Tsuna's words. "Listen well, Sawada Tsunayoshi, for this is the last time I will say it: I have little tolerance for any herbivorous notions, regardless of whether the person is a carnivore or not."

And before Tsuna can say another word, Hibari is gone, leaving Tsuna perplexed and completely bemused.

Had Hibari just called him a _carnivore?_

Huh. The Kyouya of his world hadn't called him anything of that sort till a few years before the prefect's demise.

Briefly, Tsuna wonders if that is a good thing or not, and then decides not to even bother doing so.

Tsuna has long since passed the stage of pondering over Hibari's strange labels. Really, he's just glad that the prefect hadn't decided to usurp their 'spars' over something as simple as that.

Silently, he admits that though they are completely brutal and leave him with tattered clothes every other day, Tsuna knows that Hibari's constant fights are the best ways to stay in tiptop shape and, in Tsuna's humble opinion, the best ways to get to the know the prefect better.

And Tsuna wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

* * *

That night finds Tsuna in the only apron Nana is willing to lend to him, trying to cook something somewhat edible after realizing that his mother will be leaving for the night and his brother asleep upstairs. Apparently, the Nana of this world likes to go out once in a while to hang with friends; thus leaving Tsuna and his twin to fend for their selves for the evening.

Sniffing cautiously at the curry he had started to make a few hours ago, Tsuna gives a small grin at the edible looking contents in the pot. While he was absolutely terrible at it at first, Tsuna now finds cooking as a great hobby to pass the time away; time that he can spare, because elementary homework is hardly a chore and training his body, along with reviewing language notes, barely take up half of his leftover hours.

So although he can barely make a pot of curry without burning it, Tsuna feels immense pride at learning the basics for cooking at a fairly quick pace. And since it is only now that he is able to eat his lunch without grimacing, Tsuna finds it immensely gratifying to eat your own cooked food that actually tastes good.

Setting down a steamy bowl of his dinner, Tsuna raises his eyebrow at the sight of a slightly drooling Takahiro. The kid had walked down the stair five minutes before Tsuna had finished making his curry, and though Tsuna had offered a plate to his twin, the boy had refused, simply insisting that it was probably poisoned.

Drying his hands on the kitchen towel, Tsuna gives a small smile and asks for a second time,

"Taka-chan, would you like a plate as well?" Inwardly, Tsuna pushes down the brief flash of amusement at changing the suffix for his twin (because really, Taka-kun is such a mouthful) as the boy in question snorts and looks the other way.

"No, I don't! Who would want something made by you, Tsuna?" Secretly, Tsuna smiles softly in accomplishment; it has been more than four months since Tsuna was last called a Dame by his brother, and it is only now that Takahiro has actually bothered to say 'Tsuna' rather than the usual 'hey, you.' "It probably tastes terrible."

Chuckling, Tsuna simply gives an agreeing nod and wordlessly brings out a second plate of curry, placing it across from his own dish. Ignoring the stare pouring from his twin, Tsuna sits quietly down and begins to eat, noticing with slight disappointment that the curry is a bit spicier than he would have liked.

For a few minutes, the only thing protruding the silence is the sound of Tsuna's careful chewing and the slight growls coming from the other boy's stomach. Still eating, Tsuna gestures for the kid to take a seat and silently waits as the boy only scoffs and turns his head away in return.

But luck is not in favor of Takahiro, because the moment Tsuna shrugs and begins to take the second plate away, a deep roar fills the area, causing both siblings to freeze in their place.

Laughing quietly, Tsuna retrieves a spoon and places it into the still warm curry and graciously looks back down at his own plate when he sees his brother turn beet red at the traitorous sound his belly had made.

"Come, Taka-chan." Tsuna once again gestures at the plate and this time, he sees clear hesitation in the boy's face. "Have at least a couple of bites; the food's getting cold."

And seeing his twin's reluctance, Tsuna gives another point.

"If it actually tasted so bad, do you think I would be willing to eat it for dinner?"

Hearing this, Takahiro finally relents and sits down at the table with a huff, mentioning that if it wasn't for the fact he is starving and craving curry, he certainly would not be sitting here, eating Tsuna-cooked food with only a Tsuna for company.

Tsuna nods pleasantly in return and watches carefully as Takahiro takes his first bite. Oddly enough, though he has cooked his own meal for months now, it is strangely nerve-wracking to have another try his food; Tsuna hopes that Takahiro will take a liking to it.

"Che. It's not as good as oka-san's." Takahiro grumbles as he continues to shove heaps of curry into his mouth. Munching loudly on the food, the boy takes one look at Tsuna's exaggerated dejected face and adds on in a mumble. "But it's good. Kind of."

Immediately Tsuna's face brightens up and gives a proud grin.

"Yeah? You think so?" Takahiro scowls in return.

"But it's only _okay_. I've tasted a lot better." Tsuna nods his head in acceptance, still smiling proudly. Watching as Takahiro quickly finishes his first plate, Tsuna grins as his twin shoves his dish forward for more, refusing to look at Tsuna's face.

Glancing at the curry in front of him, Tsuna pours on a second plate for his twin and thinks wonderingly.

_Maybe I should try making sushi next time. _

* * *

"Uh, Hibari-senpai?" Tsuna furrows his eyebrows as the prefect simply grunts in response. "Is this… really necessary? I thought that whatever we were doing before was good –"

"We have already discussed this, Sawada Tsunayoshi," With a flap of his jacket, Hibari lands lightly a good distance from Tsuna and scowls. "I do not tolerate herbivorous notions such as _holding back_, especially from a flesh-eater like you."

"But I wasn't holding back –"And before Tsuna can even finish his protest, the prefect is gone, appearing right in front of him in a flash, and swings his left tonfa sideways. Muttering inwardly about impatient boys and Hibari's annoying tendency to interrupt others, Tsuna falls back to avoid another deadly swing of a tonfa, and tumbles backwards a few times to create some distance from the prefect. Sighing, he rubs the back of his head and raises a hand in defeat.

"I'm never going to get to leave till I fight you, huh?" Tsuna mutters in slight irritation – because the fights from before were just spars. What Hibari is so eager to have is a full, blown out, frontal fight; something Tsuna has tried to avoid since he has arrived into this world.

Ignoring the narrowing eyes of the prefect, Tsuna mirrors the boy's readied stance and raises his fists in preparation.

(Briefly, Tsuna considers using his flames to quickly end the fight; but then he throws that ridiculous notion out the proverbial window because really, not only would he have to explain to the wary prefect why exactly he has _orange flames_ spouting out from his hands, but his body wouldn't be able to handle the strain of simply conjuring flames for an elongated amount of time. Currently, it's too weak to support the massive amount of energy needed to create Dying Will Flames without any supplements, along with the fact that he has no weapon to channel them out of).

And once again, the prefect is gone, flashing behind him this time, but Tsuna is more than ready and ducks under and sweeps his feet towards the prefect's legs.

A calm feeling spreads throughout his body, the familiar feeling of Hyper Dying Will Mode starting to wash over him. Twirling to the right and smoothly passing through Hibari's left guard to make a quick jab to his ribs, Tsuna pauses for just a second to stop the effects from taking over. His body is not nearly ready enough to handle the removal of the internal limiters inside it, and, in Tsuna's eyes, the Mode is a bit too excessive for a simple fight between 'friends' on a school rooftop.

So Tsuna relies only on his years of reflexes, his six months of extensive training, and his trusty intuition to wage through the aggressive sweeps of Hibari's tonfas; and he finds with no short amount of relief that it is just enough to keep him afloat.

And so the minutes pass by, with Hibari throwing his usual aggressive blows – all aimed towards Tsuna's head – and with Tsuna hitting back, for once, and (also, for once) focusing on giving all of his efforts on beating Hibari.

(Of course, Tsuna doesn't expect to win – once again, read: six months does not equate to years of experience – but he supposes he might as well give his all; he owes it to Hibari at least, and it wouldn't leave the prefect's notice if Tsuna did not try his best – and then that would lead to a lot of blood flowing down the streets due to one offended prefect).

Quickly side-stepping another jab to his head, Tsuna blinks to try to get rid of all his straying thoughts. And following another swerve to the right, he swoops beneath the left side of Hibari, but pulls back immediately and feints again to the right.

Idly, Tsuna notes with a certain amount of calm that Hibari is truly a prodigious fighter. The boy is barely into his teens and yet has a better footing along with a stronger defense than many of the other, older fighters that he has seen.

Still, the prefect is still young, with many holes, and Tsuna does not hesitate to turn them to his own advantage.

(Because once you enter the mafia world, there is no turning back. In his previous world, Tsuna and his family had long since learned that hard lesson; words such as _honor_ and _nobleness_ hardly mattered unless you were dealing with Family business, and it was quickly learned by all that if you wanted swim, you pushed down the heads of your opponents to keep your own afloat.

Tsuna rarely ever agrees with this method; but he agrees that it is such an ingrained conduct for all mafia that it is practically impossible to _not_ use it).

_There!_

And in a flash, Tsuna jumps barely over a low sweep from the prefect's legs and without a moment's more of pausing, leaps straight over Hibari's crouched form and lands a drop kick aimed for the boy's head.

Of course, Tsuna is not that surprised when the prefect flies to the right – it is _Hibari_ that Tsuna is currently fighting. And though he is slightly annoyed at constantly being thwarted by a pre-teen, Tsuna doesn't mind that much, especially when his heel lands on the prefect's left wrist (that was left unguarded for just a moment) and causes Hibari to drop his tonfa. Sliding quickly, Tsuna runs and gives the annoying tonfa a kick (minding both the weapon and Hibari's oncoming hands; he also makes sure to not damage the tonfa too much – he certainly does not have a death wish), sending it flying above and embedding itself on the other wall to the right.

Smiling sheepishly at the prefect's hardened, cold glare, Tsuna tries not to cry inwardly as Hibari gives a tiny smirk in return - and there went his plan on simply 'indulging' the prefect; there is no way the boy will let him be after today.

"Hn. Interesting, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna puts on his best innocent look and asks, all the while cursing himself on the inside.

"Eh? What do you mean, Hibari-senpai?" And of course, Hibari decides not to answer, and instead charges forward once more.

Sighing, Tsuna gives his aching shoulders a short massage as he ducks at another swing towards his head and prepares himself for another long sequence of jab, swipe, duck, and oh-my-god-that-was-close.

Apparently, Hibari is just as good with one tonfa as he is with two.

* * *

"Sorry, senpai, did that hurt?" Hibari does not pause in wrapping bandages around his left wrist as he gives a full glare at the deceiving carnivore in front of him. The girl in question does not even flinch at the stare that has had grown men fleeing for their lives; instead, she gives an encouraging smile that, had Hibari not known better, would have fully convinced him that Sawada Tsunayoshi is simply an annoying, weak herbivore – just like the rest of the people in this town are.

But Hibari, of course, knows better.

And he knows that something strange has occurred over the past summer vacation to Sawada Tsunayoshi; and while he does care about the private (or public, for that matter) life of Namimori's students, it is his duty to overlook and watch over their state when necessary.

So when he hears rumors from a bunch of crowding herbivores (who he made sure to bite after in the most painful way) of a certain weak-willed herbivore changing, he does not care. He keeps note of it in the back of his mind, but the name 'Sawada Tsunayoshi' does not cross his head again until he catches the stupid girl _loitering_. _On the rooftop_.

(There, he briefly remembers a scene on the first day after summer vacation when the Sawada twins were late to school, and decides perhaps the firm and unmoving will behind the female twin's eyes was not an illusion).

Thus, Hibari watches, for three weeks on, the herbivore as she eats poorly cooked meals and reviews her notes. Notes, he finds with a small amount of interest, which are far too advanced for a middle-school student, let alone an elementary one.

And then it becomes increasingly clear how _different_ the girl is when compared to everyone else. Hibari has noticed, since the day from summer break, that there was something off about the herbivore. The Sawada Tsunayoshi of before was pathetic at best – she attracted bullies like flies to carnage with her weak posture, her lack of confidence, her poor efforts in grades and sports, and with her utter lack of realism in her surroundings.

However. The Sawada Tsunayoshi in front of him now is like a total stranger – and at first he suspects that it is a whole other person all together. Her posture is firm and set, with eyes that hold far too much and a calm deposition that keeps even the most raging bullies at bay. The differences were subtle, but anyone with good sense could see the slight alterations, and this causes Hibari to narrow his eyes as he begins to assess the bruised and battered Sawada once more.

The girl in question simply raises her eyebrows and continues to wrap bandages around her multiple wounds, wounds that, while many and far higher in number than his, were mostly superficial and shallow at worst.

_An omnivore,_ he decides at last, after months of swiping after Sawada's head and hardly ever making his mark. _Sawada does not crave the blood of prey like a carnivore, but she does not act like all the other herbivores do._

And here Hibari considers it strange how such an annoying girl like Sawada could ever deserve the title of 'omnivore,' but he decides that it is a title for only those that are slightly better than those crowding herbivores, and Sawada seems to match that description perfectly.

"Hibari-senpai?" Ignoring the girl once again, Hibari gives a final tug at the bandages around his bruised wrists and stands up to leave. "Do you think we could just have normal spars like the ones we had before? I probably will be unable to function properly if we don't."

As if he did not even hear a word, Hibari brushes off a piece of imaginary lint on his coat and walks off, only to stop at Sawada's next words.

"The school might be damaged if we continue like this, Hibari-senpai." He tilts his head slightly around and glares at the small girl before turning around completely. Sawada in return merely gestures at the demolished wall to her right, before giving a questioning and innocent glance that seems to hold the will of a thousand suns and unmovable mountains.

Hibari pauses for just a moment, weighing the pros and cons before nodding stiffly his agreement.

"Fine." Briskly walking off once more, he stops to give another glare at the annoying girl before adding in with no small amount of viciousness. "But you are no longer to hold back on your strength; if you do, I will bite you to death."

Whipping out a tonfa and glaring menacingly to prove his point, Hibari feels slightly better when the omnivore squeaks and moves back with a startle, nodding rapidly her agreement.

There. At least the girl has some amount of fear of him.

After all, even if he had technically won the fight, he is still walking away with multiple bruises and other shallow wounds, and that is a fact that irritates him to no end.

(He's never been injured in a fight before, that was certain, and he is certainly not pleased when that certainty breaks by a pint-sized, annoying omnivore like Sawada).

* * *

Tsuna holds the paper tightly and smiles at the approving nod Mazasu-sensei gives him when handing back an earlier test the class had taken a few days ago.

"Well done, Sawada. Just don't forget to switch the order of names next time we cover shogun history." Nodding in acceptance, Tsuna gives another brief smile at the '90' glaring back at him before placing it neatly into his folder at his desk. Briefly he glances over the rest of the classroom, and sighs in mild relief when no whispers break out at the praise of another teacher.

(Tsuna's fast pace towards improvement had, for the past months or so, brought much attention and gossip around his class, to the point where many would stare when he answered a question correctly, or when he pulled out a highlighter and _color-coded his notes. _

Kami, it was as if the kids had never seen a diligent student in their lives before).

He decides not to tell his sensei that he already knows the order behind Japan's ruling history, along with Italy's as well, and instead looks around for his brother, who is scowling intensely at his own test.

And seeing that scowl causes Tsuna's own eyebrows to furrow and mouth to turn down. His frown grows even deeper when he sees Takahiro clench his fists and crumple the test into a ball before shoving it inside his school bag.

Was a '75' truly upsetting for a grade?

Then again, his own sense of what 'good grades' land in is practically skewered beyond repair. He is, after all, Dame-Tsuna, and even if living in the world of Mafioso has long since stamped that uselessness away, grades were still not much of an importance to him even in his later years. Keeping the family alive and happy seemed a priority above anything else.

Quickly, Tsuna skims over Takahiro's behavior over the past few days and stares intensely at the back of his twin's head. He does not recall anything drastic that may have altered his brother's life – other than the huge soccer tournament that was held just a weekend ago - but then again, Takahiro never has confided in him before, so how can he be sure?

Perhaps, Tsuna muses, Takahiro is simply upset about the bad test grade, and that is merely it.

Unfortunately, the familiar cold feeling that seems to crawl and squirm in his stomach tells him otherwise.

Damn Vongola intuition.

* * *

"You brat, do you think that's funny? Shut your mouth before I make you a new face!"

"P-please stop! I-I didn't mean it that way, honestly!"

_Smack!_

Watching with grim satisfaction as the younger boy flies, Sawada Takahiro takes a casual glance at the fallen child and pushes fiercely down on the silver of guilt that always has managed to worm its way into his heart.

"Oi, Sawada, what are you doing standing there? Let's teach this little punk a lesson." Snapping back from his thoughts, he gives a nod towards his other classmates and cracks his knuckles viciously.

Perfect. This kid will be a perfect stress reliever for all the crap that seems to have piled into his life from out of nowhere.

Ignoring the jeering calls of his other two classmates, Takahiro gives a wild smirk and pulls back his fist, relishing at the fear and obvious terror in the boy's eyes (and ignoring that guilt) before –

_Wait._

And Takahiro stops, listening to the sudden feeling of coldcoldcold dread that is screaming for him to _stop_.

"Sawada, what the heck? Punch him already!" One of his classmates (Jirou, he remembers with a sneer) calls and demands, with the other fool nodding his agreement rapidly. And Takahiro shakes his head, opening his mouth to explain that what they are demanding is _impossible,_ because -

But it is too late (to run or to warn his classmates? Takahiro wonders) and suddenly a heavy weight fills the air, as if gravity itself is pressing into his sides. Gasping for breath, he notices that the younger boy behind him and his classmates are not excluded from the sudden pressure, and it feels like forever before the weight is lifted and out from the shadows comes the person he had least expected to appear.

"Takahiro." It takes all he has to not flinch at the tone of his twin's voice and involuntarily, Takahiro takes a step back.

"T-Tsuna!" Mentally cursing himself for stammering, he balls his hands into tight fists and straightens his back while snarling. "What are you doing here?"

And in the courtyard where they all stand in, where the sunset's rays seem to wash over the area, Takahiro swears that Tsuna's eyes were glowing orange just a few seconds ago. But then he blinks and it is gone, leaving behind narrowed hazel eyes that seem completely _unbreakable. _

"I think the proper question is, Takahiro," He winces slightly when he realizes that Tsuna is not calling him the usual 'Taka-kun' or 'Taka-chan,' but instead his full name, and that is when knows that he is _deep shit_ now. "What are _you_ doing?"

He opens his mouth hastily to reply, only to clamp it down shut when he begins to wonder what the right response would be.

"I - we-" Thankfully (and unfortunately for them), his two other classmates sense a confrontation and barge into the awkward silence with annoyance and clear dissatisfaction.

"We were just going to teach this punk a lesson, what's so wrong about that? He was picking a fight with us in the first place!" Tsuna turns to the other two and gives them a cursory glance that lasts just long enough for them to squirm a bit uncomfortably.

"Is that so?" Without bothering to hear their reply, Tsuna walks and kneels beside the still fallen, crying boy and offers her help. And here, Takahiro watches with slight irritation as the boy hesitates before nodding and giving his sister a wobbly smile as she helps him up to his feet. Brushing off the dirt on his legs, she gestures for him to leave, and the boy is only happy to do so, ignoring the protests of his attackers and the like.

"Tsuna, what the hell are you-"

When asked years from now, Takahiro will continue to deny that his hands were shaking and sweating when Tsuna starts to speak.

"_Takahiro._" Automatically closing his mouth shut, Takahiro instead chooses to glance behind him to see his other two classmates shrink back at the amount of pressure Tsuna is exuding. "I would like to have a word with you. _Alone._"

And as one of the two idiots steps forward in shaky but indignant protest, Takahiro can only dredge up some amount of sympathy when the fool squeaks at the sight of a narrow-eyed, frowning Tsuna before beginning to worry about his own health and safety.

(Is he going to die? At such a young age?).

Watching as his two classmates-turned-cowards scramble away in haste, Takahiro winces internally at the churning in his stomach that had roared since the moment Tsuna was near. And as he slowly turns back to face his twin, he can only wonder about what it was that he has done wrong.

(Here, he also wonders; since when has Tsuna's opinion on anything mattered to him?

…

Since that day during summer break, he decides, because before 'that day' had come, Tsuna was nowhere near any place labeled in his life as 'important'; she always had been a disappointment – something that he poked and made fun of during his free time when there was nothing else to do.

But after 'that day,' it was as if Tsuna had died and an alien had taken her place. He hadn't noticed it at first, but now, as he watches warily at a steadfast, _unmovable _Tsuna, it's as if everything that he thought was _right _suddenly became downright _wrong_.

And what he guesses is even worse is that he can't help but gravitate towards this new Tsuna, this not-Tsuna, this Tsuna that is his sister but at the same time is _so not-_).

"What?" He asks defensively, and it is only through pride alone that Takahiro does not flinch back at the sight of a narrow-eyed Tsuna as she pauses before sighing.

"Takahiro," She begins, but he is quick to cut her off.

"_What?_" Takahiro repeats, this time with a more steady voice. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"The fact that you say you didn't just tells me that yes, you did." Tsuna replies back in an even firmer tone, while continuing on. "All I have seen for the past ten minutes was you along with our classmates belittling and hitting a child younger than us."

"I cannot deny what I have seen, Takahiro," She firmly states when Takahiro begins to open his mouth, her face now completely neutral and arms crossed loosely around her chest. "But I have not been present for the entire time. Do you have anything to say that would change my views on this situation?"

(In the back of his mind he wonders, since when has Tsuna been able to use such complicated and crafted words?

…

He decides to not even bother answering his own question).

So Takahiro considers briefly on just outright lying to Tsuna; pushing the blame on his classmates and insisting that they had pressured him into doing these things.

But then he looks into his twin's eyes (and really _looks_ – why did they look so orange in this light?) and then there's a tightening in his stomach that is telling him: he cannot lie. Whether it is because he can't or he _won't _doesn't matter, because the bells in his head are ringing, and they are screaming for him to _tell the truth_.

… He doesn't want to, but what choice does he have, against those calm, electrifying orange eyes that are telling him that he has done wrong?

"… No," So he replies, knowing that he has just admitted to bullying a younger child for no specific reason. And he scowls (whether from embarrassment or anger, he's not too sure) while looking away, refusing to look at his twin, who is now most likely to lecture him about how important being _nice_ was like all those other annoying, nosy, bothersome –

"Well then. Would you like to tell me how your day has gone, Takahiro?"

It is probably the neutral and patient tone behind Tsuna's voice that has his head flipping back to stare at her in confusion. Takahiro's twin in return sits gracefully (he snorts here, because he had been so sure that before summer vacation, the name 'Tsuna' and the word 'graceful' would not come together unless the words 'is not' was in between) on the hard concrete floor before patting the spot next to her in an invitation.

Takahiro's first instinct is to flat-out refuse and storm off; what right does Tsuna have to barge into his business like that?

But suddenly, before he can even blink, he quite abruptly finds himself sitting down on the floor, with his legs crossed and facing Tsuna.

… And though he has never seen it before, he knows that he, for the rest of his life, will always hate that disarming. quiet smile that graces Tsuna's face when he finally looks at her instead of the interesting orange sky above. So he promptly tells her so.

"I hate that smile of yours; stop smiling." Immediately, Tsuna drops her smile and gives what Takahiro assumes is her best straight-faced look. To him, it looks as if someone had just twisted his twin's face and tried to paint an old lady's face instead: it is comical at best.

He pauses and stares disgustedly at the smile that he sees is already creeping up his sister's face.

"Just so you know, I'm not going to 'pour my heart and soul' out to you or anything like that," He sneers, thinking back to the other disgusting, emotional things the other girls in his class had been talking about the other day. "I'm only sitting here because I've got no one else to complain to."

And when Tsuna simply nods and gives him her full attention, Takahiro pretends to ignore his stressed-for-far-to-long shoulders relaxing and leans forward and _complains_.

So they sit there, two siblings; one with stress that no one else seems to notice and another with another set of life-long memories that no else seems to know. And as the boy complains and heaves and whines, the other nods and listens on.

And they continue on for hours on end; till the sky turns dark and the stars burn brightly behind the glowing moon.

* * *

"- we lost at that soccer tournament which _sucked- "_

" – and everybody keeps on asking me if I'm okay, which is stupid 'cause _I am_ – "

" – I don't even know why I'm bringing this up but I especially _hated_ that last message otou-san sent – "

" – my grades keep dropping, I don't know why but they are, and okaa-san keeps on asking – "

" – and I'm just sick and tired of having to do – do – all of… this!"

And end of Takahiro's practically non-stop tirade, when he is left panting from rage, shame, and exhaustion, Tsuna simply pats his somewhat fluffy head and gets up from his spot.

"What, w-where are you going?" The 'I-just-poured-my-heart-and-soul-into-you-and-this -is-how-you-treat-me?' tone is clearly present in his voice, but Tsuna just shakes of the numbing, tingling feeling that comes from sitting for too long from his legs. He holds his hand out to Takahiro and quickly has to stifle his laughter at the lost look on his brother's face, and gently raises him from the ground without much trouble.

(Tsuna is now satisfied at the results of training with a hardcore fighter like Hibari; his stamina and strength are definitely steadily increasing if he has no problem lifting his not-really-light brother from the ground).

"Let's get some ice cream, Taka-chan," He keeps his sibling close by and practically drags the boy off the cement and into the more populated part of town. "I'm really hungry."

Takahiro resists from Tsuna's pull and scowls.

"Wait, after all of this… talking, you're not going to say anything, anything at all?" Tsuna's tilts his head slightly when his twin shouts out these words before ruffling Takahiro's hair again. Ignoring the boy's scowls, Tsuna notes with some disappointment that Takahiro's hair is not as soft as his own; but since it'll be weird to just be petting his own hair; he'll just have to deal with his twin's.

"Mm… Takahiro," Tsuna begins, while taking his twin's wrist and promptly continues on to drag the boy once again. "I can't really say much, because I'm not too worried."

"What do you mean?" Takahiro is still resisting, but not as much as Tsuna looks back and forth on a road before crossing it.

"I'm not too worried about you, Takahiro, because you will be just fine." Tsuna illiterates, and looks up to the brilliant sky with a sense of wonder. Huh. The stars are really pretty in Namimori.

"I believe," He continues on, and Takahiro listens carefully, barely noticing that another busy road is approaching rather quickly. "I believe that all you have to do is relax. Relax, and stop for a moment."

And quickly Tsuna grabs his brother's shoulders to stop him from walking further into the road, just as a huge truck zooms by at a speed higher than what is legal in Namimori.

_BEEP!_

"Right?" Tsuna asks quietly as a pale-faced Takahiro gasps in rapid breaths at the close chance of injury or death. "I think that you are just over-stressing yourself over things that aren't necessarily bad. Take a break and enjoy what you have now, Takahiro. There's always another chance to win another soccer tournament, another test to ace and another time to worry about what has already happened."

"So, where are you going to go from here, Takahiro?"

And as the pedestrian's lights turned green, Tsuna decides to not speak further, and instead continues on to the nearest ice cream parlor; all the while trying to hide the smile that comes up when Takahiro walks right next to him, side by side on the road.

Inside, he muses that his twin's compliance is most likely either due to Takahiro's sudden strong desire for ice cream or because Tsuna's words has made a large enough impact that it has affected the boy's normal behavior.

Tsuna preferably would like to consider the latter as the reason, of course.

-o-o-o-o-o-

* * *

**FAQ:**

**- Does Takahiro have a sister complex? **My first reaction to the first couple of times this question when asked was, "What? No, of course not!" And he really doesn't. Really. But it's something I might like to entertain in the future. Though note that a 'pairing' between the two will never happen. Ever.

**- Will this story/fic be Mafia-related? **_Yes. _I may have this story be AU (heck, it already is), but there's no way I can write a KHR story without writing about _Dying Will Flames and the freakin' Mafia._

- **Will you bring Tsuna's guardians from his original world here? **I honestly never actually had considered that, but now it's a thought I actually would like to entertain. We'll see.

**- How often will you update? **As often as I would like. Your thoughts, strangely enough, have given me much inspiration and actually sped up the writing process, so thanks to all of you who reviewed. But in the end, my update schedule will most likely be sporadic.

**- Who will be Decimo, Tsuna or Takahiro****?** *Insert evil laugh here*. Muahaha.

**Any other questions I will gladly try to answer through PM or the next chapter. If it allows me too, of course. Spoilers are funny things, y'know.**

**There might be another transition chapter before Reborn's arrival, or there might not be. I'll see how it goes.**

**So, once again, apologies for the late chapter, and I do hope the length was long enough to make up for it. Hopefully.**

**And of course, your thoughts are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.**

**Regards,**

**Searching. For. Enadi. **


	4. Chapter IV: As a student

Hello, everybody!

Yes, yes, I know. I'm really sorry for the late update, but life has been really hectic for me, and it still is.

Still, I'm grateful for all of my readers out there; the amount of response to this story was amazing - it wasn't anything I had actually expected, so thanks everybody.

You guys are the greatest.

Another **FAQ** is down below, to answer even more of your questions.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **LOL, WUT. NAW, BRO.

* * *

**Chapter IV: As a student…**

"Pass the ketchup, Taka-chan?"

Tsuna pauses from eating his eggs to stare bemusedly at Takahiro scrambling hastily to grab the bottle.

"Here," The boy mumbles, shoving the ketchup gently into Tsuna's face, and, still moderately surprised, Tsuna only wordlessly takes the bottle with a small smile as thank you.

Here, Takahiro mumbles something else, but when Tsuna asks for clarification, it is only met with the boy flailing his arms helplessly before storming off upstairs to get ready for school.

Huh.

Tsuna tilts his head, completely confused, and furrows his eyebrows at the stairs.

(Strange really, he thinks, because ever since 'The Talk' with Takahiro last week, the boy has taken to mutter strangely after speaking to Tsuna in, well, _every conversation_- )

"More eggs, Tsuna-chan?" Tsuna breaks off his confused gaze to turn to his mother, and gives a smile with a shake of his head.

"No thank you, okaa-san; I'm full, actually." Nana in return grins brightly and pats Tsuna's fluffy (and still short) hair.

"Alright," She giggles and Tsuna's smile widens even further. "If you say so."

(And even though this woman is not _his _mother, Tsuna still can't help but relish in the feeling of motherly affection, even if it is sometimes overshadowed by the admiration she has for the other twin.

How long has it been since he's last seen such a bright smile on this woman's face?

…

So long).

"Oi! Are you ready yet?" Takahiro calls from the front door, tapping his feet impatiently with his arms crossed. Swallowing the last of his breakfast, Tsuna smoothly gets up from his chair, places his plate in the sink, grabs his own homemade lunch and heads out to the door.

"Patience, Takahiro," Tsuna murmurs while adjusting the collar of his (once again, borrowed) polo shirt and slipping on his shoes.

(He really should invest in a new wardrobe; stealing clothes from his brother's closet probably isn't the best way to survive the next few years of elementary school, but he absolutely _refuses _to wear those billowing, pant-less _things _that the other Tsunayoshi was apparently very fond of wearing.

He shudders. _Skirts. _

Though Tsuna is a bit more worried about how he has stolen from Takahiro's closet for almost a whole year now and the kid _still _hasn't even noticed).

Strangely enough (and isn't that the perfect word to describe the Takahiro of now), Takahiro doesn't respond to Tsuna's gentle reprimand, and instead drops his arms from their place across his chest.

"Whatever," He mutters as he shifts his bag from one hand to the other. "Let's just go – "

And once again, Takahiro mumbles something incoherent to even Tsuna's sharp ears before walking out the door with a wave to Nana and a _look _(not an impatient scowl or a distasteful glance, but just a _look_) to Tsuna.

Bemused – not for the first time or last – Tsuna quickly heads over to a speed walking Takahiro (with a wave to his mother as well), easily keeping up with the boy's pace. Adjusting his position to hold his bag over his shoulder, Tsuna glances at his watch (stolen from the dark, dark, unused corners of Takahiro's closet – that place is like a treasure trove) and inwardly nods.

Good. They can afford another seven minutes.

Tsuna swiftly speeds up his pace and turns sharply to stop Takahiro from walking any further. Shoving a hand into his jean pocket, Tsuna lets out a deep breath and watches as the visible air floats up to the sky.

Hm. Perhaps he should have invested in stealing a jacket from his twin's closet as well.

"Takahiro," Tsuna begins, still staring at the clear sky. "I'm sure it's nothing big, really, but for the past week, you have muttered things under your breath after talking with me. Care to tell me what exactly is on your mind?"

And, still staring at the bright sky, Tsuna watches with amusement as his twin shifts uncomfortably, scowling all the way from the corner of his eye. The silence continues on, with Takahiro's face turning redder by the minute, and Tsuna adjusts his bag again before shoving his other hand into his pocket.

"… Do I have to?" Tsuna brightens at Takahiro's long-awaited reply and turns to look at him.

"No, of course not." Takahiro sighs and scowls fiercely.

"Why are you always like this…?" The boy mutters under his breath, but it's not as soft as his other whispers, and Tsuna can only grin as the words reach his ears. Takahiro shifts, putting his weight on his right foot.

"I – " Takahiro starts, only to stop. Tsuna stares concerned as Takahiro tightly clenches his fists and grits his teeth. "I just – "

Surely Tsuna doesn't _need _to know, right?

"Takahiro, you don't have to – "

"I was just – just calling you Onee-san, okay?!"

The two siblings freeze, with Takahiro panting slightly from embarrassment and frustration.

And suddenly, for the first time in a while, Tsuna is at a loss for what to do. Because on one hand, while he is glad that his twin has finally considered them close enough to put in that suffix, however…

(It's been a while since he's had such a big reminder of his… actual gender in this world.

His appearance is still the same as before; his classmates hardly even talk to him anymore – it's as if they have forgotten he even existed – which is what he _wanted_; Hibari certainly does not care about gender, and his family themselves have only called him by 'Tsuna:' the 'chan' he can bypass .

But 'onee'-san…

It is like a smack on the face; a warning that he shouldn't forget. No matter how much he would like to deny it, to ignore it, to _forget _it – he is still a _girl_).

Tsuna quickly shoves these painful thoughts into the back of his mind and smiles.

"Hm…" Patting Takahiro's head – sadly enough, Tsuna is taller than Takahiro – Tsuna looks straight into his twin's straying eyes and flicks his nose playfully. The boy in return rears his head back before scowling again. "Taka-chan, you don't have to do that; I'm only older by, what, a few minutes?"

"Seven minutes and thirty seconds," Takahiro immediately replies before clamping his mouth shut. Turning his head to avoid looking at Tsuna's amused face, he also adds in, "And I _know _I don't have to; it's my choice, you know."

Tsuna pauses to clear the bemused expression on his face.

_Then why didn't you say so clearly the first time you called me… onee-san?_

Shaking his head from that remark, Tsuna instead tries a different tactic.

"Taka-chan, you don't have to. You can just call me 'Tsuna' or – " And here Tsuna grins unabashedly. "Tsuna-kun."

(Ah, the irony of switching gender suffixes).

Takahiro in return scowls again (really, the kid should learn how to put on better expressions; his face will get stuck in the place sooner or later) and narrows his eyes in a strangely familiar way.

"_No_." Quite suddenly, Tsuna blinks as déjà vu fills his mind (_remember the dynamites and Jyuudaime,_ a voice whispers)and his intuition tells him that this is one thing that Takahiro _will not _let go of.

But it seems that Tsuna is not as good at hiding his emotions from his twin as he had thought, for Takahiro releases his intense gaze and relents.

"Well, if it bothers you that much," Tsuna smiles in relief; perhaps his intuition will _finally_ be proved wrong – "I guess I can call you Aneki."

Immediately memories of white-haired octopuses and pink scorpions with dynamite and poisonous food accost him, filling Tsuna's head with a flood of nostalgia and something else that isn't quite pain.

And then it is Tsuna's turn to refuse.

_No._

Tsuna sighs and leans forward to rest his head on his brother's shoulder – he already can feel an incoming headache pounding in his brain.

"Actually, Takahiro," Tsuna mumbles into the boy's light jacket, ignoring Takahiro's frozen form in favor of resting his head. "Onee-san is perfectly fine."

He can feel Takahiro pausing for a few moments before the boy shrugs his other, unoccupied shoulder.

"Whatever you say, Tsuna-nee-san."

* * *

And so another few months pass by without incident (Tsuna thanks whoever is up there for that) and before he realizes it, summer has arrived with a nostalgic heat and warm rays.

Unfortunately, Tsuna isn't bothered to think of these warm thoughts, because on the last week of school before summer break, he wakes up with a familiar feeling of _cold_ _dread _creeping into his stomach.

It is a feeling of _knowing _that something terrible will happen today that has Tsuna struggling to respond to his narrow-eyed (ahem, concerned) brother's questions.

"I'm fine, Taka-chan," Tsuna tries to reassure, barely restraining himself from holding an arm over his stomach. "Just a slight stomach ache, that's all."

But still, they walk at half the usual pace than normal; though Tsuna isn't too sure if it is because of his own incompetence at walking properly or if the motherly instincts that Tsuna is _sure _Takahiro has is finally sprouting out from underneath the boy's coarse personality.

Tsuna lasts for a whole four periods before he asks (more so demands) his teacher for permission to go to the bathroom, and walks out of the classroom with Takahiro's barely concealed, worried stare following him as well.

Ten minutes pass after entering the toilets (even now he still has to pause before heading towards the one labeled 'girls') before Tsuna quickly finds himself on the bathroom floor, barely holding his body back from hyperventilating and possibly passing out in dead faint.

_Nurse, Tsuna, _he desperately tries to remind his panicking body while staring up into the ceiling, _the nurse can help you._

And with a surging will to _survive _and not _flounder, _Tsuna quickly stands up (and hesitates before wrapping his underwear in toilet paper. _Lots _of toilet paper).

Determined _not _to faint, Tsuna hastily pulls his pants back up (Kami, there's so much _blood_) and practically _runs _for the nurse's office. His senses are on high alert in the midst of his barely contained panic and Tsuna ducks to the side to avoid a flying tonfa.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Hibari's voice is dangerously low with narrowed eyes and a fierce scowl on his face. Tsuna slows down briefly to hear his next words. "Skipping class, running in the hallways, and bleeding on Namimori's grounds?"

Tsuna glances back and winces as the prefect grins maliciously and holds up a single, gleaming tonfa.

"For violating Namimori's rules, I will bite you to death."

_Hibari! _Tsuna sobs in his mind as he runs faster to the nurse's office. _What happened to the beautiful friendship that we had before?! _

…

(Perhaps it is due to a mixture of panic, trauma, and fear that has Tsuna temporarily forgetting: Kyouya at such a young age does not know the meaning of _friendship – _hell, Kyouya at twenty-one still didn't quite understand it.

So it is probably a good thing that Tsuna does not call out these_ temporarily_ insane thoughts from his mind).

Luckily, though Hibari is fast, Tsuna is _faster _(he hasn't spent the last year doing hardcore _Reborn-style _training exercises for nothing, dammit!) and in a matter of minutes, Tsuna bursts into the nurse's room with one arm desperately covering his stomach and another trying to push away Hibari's attacks to his head.

"Nurse," Tsuna gasps after giving a final kick to Hibari (sending the boy across the hallway) and clutches his stomach (painpainpain). "Please, I don't know what's wrong with me – "

(Actually, according to his still-forever-annoying intuition, Tsuna _does _know what is wrong with his… female body, but that certainly doesn't mean he knows what _to do_ -)

"Oh!" The nurse exclaims, quickly taking note of the blood still seeping through Tsuna's pants before ushering him into the bathroom next door. "Don't worry, dear, this is normal; there's no need to panic. Now, take deep breaths and let me explain to you the wonders of growing up."

Tsuna blanches throughout the explanation (he's gone through puberty once _already_, why is the world so cruel to put him through it again) because though he knows of _that time of month _from a more-than-usual violent Bianchi and a sobbing Haru, he hadn't really known about all the… technical aspects behind it.

"Are you alright, dear?" The nurse asks kindly after zip locking Tsuna's soiled clothes and letting him wash up in the shower next to the sink. Tsuna takes a moment in the back of his head to thank Kami/Buddha/whoever-is-up-there that this nurse is nothing like Shamal (then again who is?). "Do you need to sit down?"

He nods his head blankly, but both he and the nurse are unsure whether it is an answer to her first or second question, so instead she decides to let Tsuna lie down for the rest of day, calling Nana to tell the woman what exactly has progressed.

(Tsuna tries desperately to ignore the excited chatter coming from the receiving end of the nurse's phone; he does not need to know about how proud Nana is that her 'baby girl is finally becoming a woman!'

No. He really, _really _doesn't).

Putting aside the fresh wave of pain that is clenching in his stomach (_The first few days are usually the worst, dear_); Tsuna covers his eyes with his arm from the lingering sunlight shining through the window.

Perhaps now would be a good time to take a nice, long nap –

_Slam! _

With a start, Tsuna opens his eyes and looks to see a panting Takahiro on the verge of having a major panic attack on his own.

"Tsuna-nee-san! Are you here? I heard that you went to the nurse because of Hibari –"

…

Relaxing after realizing that Takahiro is simply worried ("Curious, Nee-san! I'm just curious!"), Tsuna slowly closes his eyes once more and gives in to exhaustion from having to deal with a whole day of _puberty_.

"Onee-san? Tsuna-onee-san? Nurse, why is she closing her eyes?!"

Tsuna gives one last curse to his body before falling asleep, lulled by the sounds of a fretting Takahiro.

(He dreams of soccer balls and mafia guns with swords filled with lightening; of clouds surrounded by yellow birds and tornadoes covered in mist; of the sun and flowers in spring shaped like dinosaurs).

That evening when Tsuna wakes up, in his bed, to the smell of delicious food, he can't help but smile; because even though he has to deal with these _troublesome _problems involving his female body…

At least he has his Family to support him the entire way.

(Does it matter if they are in this world or not?).

* * *

_Bam!_

With a grunt, Tsuna slides around Hibari's guard and lands a glancing roundhouse kick to the prefect's side.

"Hibari-senpai, I already apologized, didn't I?" Tsuna tries to reason, though he knows it is falling on deaf ears as Hibari viciously runs up to Tsuna and swipes upwards before turning and jabbing a tonfa into Tsuna's stomach.

Ignoring the breath that knocks out of him, Tsuna instead ducks at another swipe to his head (really, why _does _Hibari always aim for his head?) and tries in vain to squash the irritation welling inside his chest.

Had Kyouya always been this annoying in Tsuna's own world, he wonders briefly before shaking his head and focusing on the task at hand.

_Damnit, Hibari, I have class in less than five minutes!_

Wincing as a brief spasm of pain circles inside his stomach (it has been only two days since the… 'puberty' incident, and it has taken Hibari that same amount of time to track down a fleeing Tsuna in retribution for the kick that had sent the prefect flying across the hallway), Tsuna finally feels the last bit of his patience snap as Hibari once again ignores Tsuna's reasoning and goes for Tsuna's head. Again.

It isn't how Tsuna is missing class or how Hibari constantly aims for his head (even though it _is _slightly annoying).

(No, it is Hibari's tendency to hear what he wants to hear and block everything else out. It is his impatience and ceaseless thinking before attacking that has Tsuna so _frustrated _because that could later on cost someone's _life _and he's had enough of Hibari's immaturity -).

At the last second before Tsuna's slightly unreasonable anger takes over (_remember, Dame-Tsuna, a mafia boss must not let his emotions control his actions; it can cost lives if you do_), he instead releases his body to his eager flames; and enters his Hyper Dying Will Mode.

(His body aches even though his Sky flames dance all around his body and soothe a part of him that he didn't even know was sore; he really should _not _be entering this mode without the help of supplements. It is simply _dangerous _and he hasn't even spent the time to figure a way to safely do so yet – now he really wishes he had).

A warm glow rests lightly on his forehead, and Tsuna blinks as a familiar feeling of _clarity _and _resolve _envelops him.

Hibari steps lightly back a few feet and stares interestedly at Tsuna's burning forehead and glowing eyes.

"Oh?" Hibari smirks and raises his tonfas challengingly. "It seems you have hidden something else from me, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna does not respond and practically flies up to Hibari instead.

"What – " He does not give the prefect a chance to even widen his eyes before punching _into _Hibari's guard. It is not what Hibari had expected, and after having his punch blocked (_expected and calculated_), Tsuna gives another side punch followed by a push kick that sends the prefect _flying _across the school grounds.

Hibari falls into the baseball fields with a resounding crack; the prefect is hardly injured (Tsuna can see that the boy has twisted and softened the fall) but by the time Hibari leaps back up to the roof, Tsuna is already gone.

(Tsuna has had _enough _of dealing with a compulsive Kyouya every day, thank you very much).

* * *

Unfortunately, Tsuna really should have taken into account the repercussions of 'beating' a Hibari; the prefect's pride was as bountiful as Reborn's sadism.

The following week during summer break, Tsuna finds himself being dragged out of his room by a murderous looking Hibari with slight bemusement and annoyance as the prefect demands another match.

"I refu – " Apparently, Hibari is a very, _very _impatient boy, because in response to Tsuna's beginning refusals, the boy hurls a tonfa at a nearby frozen stiff Takahiro. It is only due to Tsuna throwing a spoon at the tonfa that it embeds itself into the wall instead of his brother.

"Hibari-senpai," Tsuna forces himself to stay calm and relaxed, but his shoulders hold tension enough for a lifetime.

(It is only because of his worry for the wide-eyed Takahiro's health and his own future years that has Tsuna agreeing easily enough; though on the condition that Hibari will now owe him a favor and that the prefect will never, _ever _attempt to harm his Family again.

Five minutes of stoic silence pass before Hibari grits out his agreement in heavy reluctance; Tsuna sympathizes – he knows how much Kyouya hates owing favors - but this is one of the few things Tsuna has been firm about in his dealings with the Kyouya of his world.

There will be no harming of the Family).

And so begins the start of many summers filled with destruction and spars and orange eyes.

(They both don't even bother 'sparring' during school days anymore; Hibari loves Namimori too much to damage it due to fights, and Tsuna really loves his life too much to end it just because of a 'playful' spar).

* * *

And so, another year passes by, followed by another and another.

(Tsuna tries to cherish these few years of normalcy with a fierceness he doesn't know he had in him.

If this world is anything like his own, then he needs to hold on to these memories for future use – when the meeting with Reborn inevitably comes).

"Sawada," Tsuna blinks away his thoughts and focuses on the teacher in front of him.

"Yes, Suzume-sensei?" Tsuna smiles sheepishly as his sensei in return sighs and shakes his head with a smile. "I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"

Suzume Kiyoshi smiles wryly again at his student and lifts a pile of papers.

"These," He states, handing the pile over to the girl, "Are a list of all the schools that wish for you to attend their grounds next year."

Sawada in return stares blankly at the pile in her hands.

…

"What?"

Kiyoshi shakes his head.

This is the best student Namimori Elementary has to offer?

_Still,_ Kiyoshi muses, _despite her scattered brain, Sawada really _does _have the best grades Namimori has seen in a while. _

(He determinedly ignores the other genius that had graduated a year or two ago; Hibari Kyouya is genius, yes, but not a conventional one, and all the other middle schools in the general area already know that the boy would be attending Namimori-chu – and not anywhere else.

They certainly did not dare to try to convince him otherwise).

_It was a slow creep upwards_, Kiyoshi remembers fondly, thinking back to the first year Sawada's grades had really begun to improve. Probably due to the joint efforts of tutors and diligence on the girl's part, many teachers twittered and gossiped and speculated in the lounge; who knew that such a talent could be hidden inside one of Namimori's worst students?

"Um, sensei?" Flinching back, it is now Kiyoshi's turn to sheepishly from his straying thoughts as his student stares with an eyebrow raised.

(Though it is strange how, well, _boy-like _the girl looks now; Kiyoshi clearly remembers a time where Sawada was fond of pink skirts and long hair, but now it has switched for short, puffy hair and cargo pants.

…

Sometimes, he wonders if his other students even remember what gender Sawada actually is: he has lost count of the several times his students has referred to the girl as a _boy _and the frustration that wells up when Sawada, after every single time, refuses to correct said classmates.

Kami, it was like she _wanted _them to treat her like a boy).

"Ah," Kiyoshi clears his throat and nods at the papers held loosely in Sawada's hands. "Like I just said, these are the applications of all the middle schools that want you in the following year; along with other scholarships and benefits."

Sawada simply stares at the pile in her hands and blinks slowly before looking back to Kiyoshi.

"… I thought I was going to Namimori Middle…"

Kiyoshi nearly smacks himself in the face at the sheer _obliviousness _Sawada seems to have, but calms down and instead gives the confused girl a small lecture.

"Yes, that was if you didn't have the grades to attend another middle school. However, seeing that you are our top student, many other schools are vying for your attendance; hence, the papers in your hands," Kiyoshi points deliberately at Sawada's hands and the girl smiles wryly before furrowing her brow.

"Why don't you go through them tonight and talk it over with your parents? You don't have to decide now."

Sawada doesn't respond, instead picking up the application on top of the large pile and scans the paper dutifully. Kiyoshi waits patiently as the girl smiles and looks to the left, staring outside at the sky through the window.

"Midori, huh?" Sawada says almost wistfully before shaking her head. She turns back to face him with a considering look. "Well, Suzume-sensei, do you know about Taka-chan's decision for next year?"

Kiyoshi holds back a knowing glance and opens a drawer to search for the other Sawada's file. The boy had received a similar pile of applicants – albeit, smaller than his sister's – from other schools last week, and just yesterday had handed over the envelope stating his decision.

"The kid didn't tell you?" Kiyoshi asks with a bit curiosity; the Sawada twins are close, everybody knows that, despite the growing differences in popularity between the two. Sawada Takahiro is famously known as a rising star in soccer, with a coarse but open personality that has grown softer over the years. Sawada Tsunayoshi however…

Well, you were lucky if the person you asked responded with a confused look and a "Tayoshi, who?"

(Exactly how the girl managed to slither away and hide from the public despite being the top student was beyond Kiyoshi; and exactly _why _was beyond him as well).

"No," The girl in question smiles serenely – a look Kiyoshi thinks is far too old for a child like her, but he does not comment. "He wanted to keep it a secret from me. It confused me then, but it seems now that it was to not hinder my choice of school as well."

"Hm," Kiyoshi nods in understanding, but pulls out Sawada Takahiro's file anyway. Twins were notorious for following each other despite their different goals, but Kiyoshi highly doubts that going to Nami-chu will hinder Tsunayoshi's plans for the future; the girl had too much potential.

Handing over the boy's application, Kiyoshi cannot help but add, "Strange how both you siblings thought going into Namimori Middle was your only option; though I think it's more strange that your brother chose it anyway, despite there being much better options."

Kiyoshi will not lie; though he has pride in Namimori's education, he knows that it is not the best. Dozens of schools from all around Japan with better facilities and a better education were all vying for Sawada Takahiro, and yet, the boy still chose Namimori.

And judging by the look of concentration in the other Sawada's eyes, Kiyoshi has a feeling that this Sawada will be following her twin's decision as well.

"Suzume-sensei?" Kiyoshi grunts in response and hands over a pen when Sawada asks for one; he is not surprised when Sawada shuffles through her papers to draw out Namimori's own form and fills it out.

"That is some loyalty to Namimori, Sawada," Kiyoshi remarks as Sawada quickly fills out the application in precise, neat handwriting. He then pauses and adds in. "And to each other, the both of you."

There is silence for a few minutes before the girl in question returns his pen and gives Kiyoshi only a bright grin and a bow in thanks; whether it is for his pen or remark, Kiyoshi isn't too sure.

But what Kiyoshi knows for sure is that Namimori is both lucky and unlucky to have the Sawada twins entering its grounds next year.

(Kiyoshi hasn't been an elementary school teacher for years to just ignore the signs of danger when he sees it. He has seen problem children and gifted children; normal children and not-so-normal children.

But the Sawada twins are a whole new bunch that he has only heard of from others.

They are chaotic children.

No matter where they go, their touch will bring winds of change; whether it is for good or bad, Kiyoshi does not know.

He guesses that he'll find out sooner or later.

All he has to do is watch the Namimori's news report.

Frequently).

* * *

"Tsuna-chan?" Swallowing the last bit of his dinner, Tsuna carefully wipes off his mouth with a napkin (_remember, Dame-Tsuna: appearance is everything at business dinners, especially ones involving the mafia-_) and turns to his smiling mother.

"Yes, okaa-san?" Nana in return grins brightly and waves at the phone across the table behind her.

"I just received a call from Namimori Middle while I was cooking; they said that they were so pleased to have you attend their school – the principal himself called to say so!" Tsuna pretends to not notice a choking Takahiro next to him and smiles pleasantly instead. "I'm so glad that both my children are attending a school so close to home!"

And suddenly, the answer to Suzume-sensei's question appears.

_Takahiro… You didn't want okaa-san to feel lonely, so you chose the only school in Namimori's general area?_

This is actually true; the closest middle school to Namimori other than its own middle school is over two towns away – meaning Takahiro would have to live in a dormitory.

(The same could not be said for Tsuna: Midori is actually a prestigious all-girls school for fine arts and just outside of Namimori).

"Tsuna-nee-san?"

Tsuna lazily pats Takahiro fluffy, light, light brown hair and promptly ignores the boy's scowl.

(Takahiro's scowls are nothing compared to Reborn's malicious glares; it is like comparing puffy, indignant kittens to sneering wolves).

"Mm, Takahiro," Tsuna murmurs as both he and his twin watch their humming mother wash the dishes. "Don't worry; this was my choice."

"… Are you sure?" Takahiro frowns and looks closely at Tsuna's carefully smoothed out face. Tsuna smiles sincerely in response and nods, glancing distractedly outside the window.

"Yes, of course."

_I will never leave you to Vongola's clutches alone, Takahiro._

_It is times like these that we need to stick together._

_Like Family._

* * *

"_I refuse._"

Perhaps in his other life, Tsuna muses, he probably would have given in to his mother's bright, watering eyes.

"Please, Tsuna-chan? Make Mama proud, yeah?"

But this is just crossing the line.

"No, no thank you."

Takahiro pops up from behind the couch across the living room, staring warily at both their mother and the article of clothing in her hands.

"Nee-san, isn't it, y'know," Takahiro pauses before frowning. "_Against Namimori's rules _to not wear a uniform?"

The boy freezes and looks around as if Hibari himself is in the general area. Ever since the disastrous meeting with the prefect a few years ago, Takahiro always did have a healthy amount of fear of the Hibari.

Tsuna lifts the Namimori Middle's Rule Handbook from the coffee table next to him and taps the cover lightly. He has taken to memorizing all the rules in that little book as if his life depends on it.

(Which, actually, it kind of _does_, because Tsuna really doesn't want to give Hibari _another _reason to start fight with him).

"Technically, yes, Taka-chan," Tsuna puts down the handbook and picks up the uniform that he has worked sweat, blood, and tears to have the right to wear. "But there is no rule for a Namimori student to wear the opposite gender's uniform."

And in all of its glory, lies in Tsuna's hands, Nami-chu's boy uniform: a sight that fills him with nostalgia and fond memories.

(It is not just because he absolutely _despises _skirts that have Tsuna so firm on wearing this uniform; it represents the past that he can never have here, and he wants to cherish them with all he has).

"But Tsuna-chan," Nana almost whines, but it is still pleading. "You're a _girl –_"

Tsuna holds back his almost instantaneous wince and takes a deep breath.

_Breathe, Tsuna. Only biologically. Only biologically. _

"- and look, aren't these skirts so cute?"

Yes, Tsuna does think the skirts _are _cute (Kyoko and Hana were fond of their middle school uniforms even when they reached their twenties), but that does not just erase his twenty-six (now twenty-nine? Thirty?) years of male mentality.

He has accepted that yes, he is a girl, and _yes_, he will probably be one for the rest of his life on this world, but does that mean he has to act like one as well?

"Okaa-san," Tsuna starts patiently, staring straight into Nana's watering eyes with determination. "I _do _think that these skirts are very cute, but –"

Tsuna pauses to emphasize his point.

"But I feel very uncomfortable wearing them. I know that I used to love wearing them, but I'm growing up, yes, okaa-san? I don't think I'll be able to enjoy my middle school life if I'm uncomfortable in my uniform, right?"

He watches in relief as Nana begins to calm down and accept Tsuna's honest and sincere explanation with the open-minded personality that Tsuna has always been thankful for.

"If that is what you want, Tsuna-chan," And suddenly, all is well again as Nana gently places Namimori's girl uniform to the side and leaves cheerfully to start making dinner.

"Tsuna-nee-san," Tsuna turns with a satisfied smile and sits down, relaxed, on the couch.

"Yes, Taka-chan?" Takahiro flops down next to him and crosses his legs.

"How exactly did you get the school to send you a male uniform? There's no way they would have accepted the explanation you gave to okaa-san."

Tsuna fiddles with a piece of his (still thankfully short) hair while scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, I had Hibari-senpai to help…"

* * *

_"Please, Hibari-senpai?"_

_"…"_

_"I'll spar with you every Sunday throughout the school year!"_

_"…"_

_"I'll join your Disciplinary Committee next year! You always complained about not having enough grunts to deal with the paperwork."_

_"…"_

_"Okay, maybe not complained."_

_"…"_

_"… I'll cook hamburger steak for you every week."_

_"… Hn. Make it every other day, Sawada Tsunayoshi."_

* * *

Takahiro stares incredulously at a weary looking Tsuna.

"You _bribed _Hibari-san with food?"

Solemnly, Tsuna places a hand on Takahiro's stiff shoulder and looks straight into the boy's eyes.

"Takahiro, the only way to a man's heart is through his stomach; sacrifices are a must to get what you want."

Takahiro uneasily glances at Tsuna's serious face with trepidation.

"Nee-san, exactly how much did you want that uniform…?"

...

"Very much, Takahiro, very much."

Tsuna stares blankly outside through the window and softly mutters,

"Now, how does one make hamburger steak?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

* * *

And so, here ends the last of the 'transitioning' chapters before canon. I wanted to put in one more so that we could smoothly see the events that happened before Reborn's arrival.

Poor Tsuna; having to deal with puberty for a second time.

Next Chapter: Enter Reborn, Sasagawa Kyoko, and many more.

**FAQ:**

**- Why is Tsuna called 'he' in some places, but 'she' in another?** Okay, so, I can go into a spheal about identity crisis things, but that's for later. For now, all you need to know is that Tsuna is 'he' when we see things from his point of view. Just because he's accepted the fact that he is yes, biologically, a girl, does not mean he will consider himself one.

When we are seeing things from other's perspectives, people regard Tsuna as a 'she' because they _know _that 'he' is a girl.

**- Takahiro definitely has a 'sister complex'** - Alright, even _I, _the author, have to admit that the kid _does _slightly have one. We'll see how it goes later on.

**- Pairings? Specifically TsunaxHibari?** Whoa, whoa. Hold up. These kids are (technically) eleven/thirteen in the beginning, and only now are they thirteen/fifteen. Pairings are a _no _for now. Romance is not even in the minds of (a thirty? year old) Tsuna and it has an even lesser presence in the fighting-obsessed Hibari.

The most you can make out of their relationship now is sparring partners, or tentative 'friends.' (But yes, Tsuna is now in the Disciplinary Committee, unfortunately for him).

**- About that 'Guardians coming to this world' thing? - **I've spent a lot of time thinking about this little factor that many readers have brought up, and in the end, I've decided that, no, Tsuna's previous Guardians will _not _be coming to this world. We might see glimpses of them here and there (how you ask? It's a secret) but generally speaking, no one else from Tsuna's world will be coming to this one.

What really swayed me to this side was part of a review from a reader, **Shirokuromokona, **who really brought up _why _bringing the others here might be a bad idea.

"I really don't like the idea of Tsuna's guardians from his world appearing in the new world. Like Tsuna worries that replacing even if it is an alternative version of him is wrong. Maybe its hypocritical, but I never knew the original female Tsuna, while I know the new Hibari who thinks that Sawada is a weird person who he can't seem to label and is just so different from her peers. I don't want this Hibari to disappear, just to get the old Hibari back. Even if they are practically the same the have different experiences, and thus radically different thoughts. Thanks for the chapter."

- And here is our answer, ladies and gentlemen. While I know that many are hoping to keep Tsuna from loneliness here by bringing his loved ones, I think it is a bit immoral to just replace the Guardians' lives here (who each are their own person) with the ones Tsuna has grown up with.

Yes, it will be painful for Tsuna to see faces of those that won't recognize him, and yes, it will hurt when the people he has fought along with treat him politely like a stranger.

But I think it would be more painful for both Tsuna and his own Guardians if they all came and took the place of the characters in this world.

It's one thing being reincarnated 'back to the past' or something along those lines; it's another thing to just take over someone else's life, even if they are your parallel selves.

I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone too badly, but I am firm with my decision for this; if you think otherwise, please try to give a really good explanation about why.

On the other hand, sorry for the long author's note; though I did want to put it out there.

Still, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter: I would love to hear your thoughts on it as well.

Regards,

Searching. For. Enadi.


End file.
